Background: Human milk does not meet the nutritional needs to support optimal growth of very preterm infants during the first weeks of life. Nutrient fortifiers are therefore added to human milk, though these products are suspected to increase gut dysmotility. The objective was to evaluate whether fortification with bovine colostrum (BC) improves bowel habits compared to a conventional fortifier (CF) in very preterm infants. Methods: In an unblinded, randomized study, 242 preterm infants (26–31 weeks of gestation) were randomized to receive BC (BC, Biofiber Damino, Gesten, Denmark) or CF (FM85 PreNAN, Nestlé, Vevey, Switzerland) as a fortifier. Stools (Amsterdam Stool Scale), bowel gas restlessness, stomach appearance score, volume, and frequency of gastric residuals were recorded before each meal until 35 weeks post-menstrual age. Results: As intake of fortifiers increased, stools became harder in both groups (p < 0.01) though less in BC infants (p < 0.05). The incidence of bowel gas restlessness increased with laxative treatments and days of fortification in both groups (p < 0.01), but laxatives were prescribed later in BC infants (p < 0.01). With advancing age, stomach appearance scores improved, but more so in BC infants (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Although there are limitations, a minimally processed, bioactive milk product such as BC induced similar or slightly improved bowel habits in preterm infants.


Disease relapse is the most frequent cause of treatment failure after HSCT in patients (pts) with refractory AML/MDS. AZA inhibits the enzyme DNA methyltransferase and leads to DNA hypomethylation. It may induce leukemic cell differentiation and increased immunogenicity, therefore potentially magnifying the graft-versus-leukemia effect. Lower doses are likely to be better tolerated after HSCT and to be as effective as larger doses in inducing hypomethylation. We hypothesized that AZA maintenance will result in lower relapse rates, and designed a phase I clinical trial to determine the safest dose and schedule combination. We also monitored global methylation post HSCT as a surrogate marker for changes in methylation status during AZA. Methods: Pts with AML or high-risk MDS not in 1st complete remission (CR), not candidates for ablative regimens were eligible. Conditioning regimen was gemtuzumab ozogamicin 2 mg/m2 (day -12), fludarabine 120mg/m2, and melphalan 140mg/m2. GVHD prophylaxis was tacrolimus/mini-methotrexate. ATG was administered to recipients of unrelated donor (UD) HSCT. We investigated 3 AZA doses: 8, 16, and 24 mg/m2 daily × 5 starting on day +42, and given for 1–4 28-day cycles (schedule). An outcome-adaptive method was used in order to determine both dose and schedule (number of cycles): pts were assigned to a dose/schedule combination chosen on the basis of the data (toxicity) from all pts treated previously in the trial. Patients in CR on transplant day +30, without gd III/IV GVHD, platelet >10,000/mm3 and ANC >500/mm3 were eligible to receive SQ AZA. The methylation status of long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE) was analyzed by pyrosequencing and used as a surrogate marker of global DNA methylation in mononuclear cells of 22 pts(55%) that received AZA for at least 1 cycle. Results: 40 patients were enrolled; median age was 57 years (22–72). Diagnoses were MDS with high IPSS(n=6) and AML (n=34). Disease status at HSCT: complete remission (CR), 10% (n=4); chemo-naive MDS, 2% (n=1); induction failure, 35% (n=14), 1st/2nd relapse, 42.5% (n=21). Patients had received a median of 5 courses of chemotherapy (0–23) prior to HSCT, and the median comorbidity Charlson score was 3 (0–8). Donors were related (n=23) or UD(n=17), and stem cell source was bone marrow(n=8) or peripheral blood(n=32). Median follow-up of alive pts is 11 mo (2.5–20; n=21). 49 cycles of AZA were delivered at 8 (n=7 pts), 16 (n=4) and 24 mg/m2 (n=12 pts). AZA-associated toxicities were grade I/II hematologic, nausea and fatigue. There was no increase in GVHD: gd II-IV aGVHD, and chronic GVHD rates were 34% and 30%. 11 pts have relapsed, 2 while on AZA (16 and 24 mg/m2). Day +30 and +100 non-relapse mortality was 5% and 12%. Mean LINE methylation results were as follows: baseline: 43.51% (±5; n=22); on cycle 1, 5th day of AZA: 24 mg/m2=43.58% (±5; n=9); 16 mg/m2: 36.93% (±6.5; n=4); 8 mg/m2: 42.86% (±5; n=3). There were trends towards lower levels of global methylation at 16mg/m2 in subsequent cycles. The trial design has reached the higher dose and the maximum number of cycles given the absence of AZA-related major toxicities. Conclusion: AZA at 24 mg/m2 is safe and can be administered for at least 4 cycles. The lack of toxicity and the methylation studies indicate that higher doses and longer periods of administration should be investigated.


Over the past few years addressing state fragility in the third world has become an important priority in international development cooperation. However, it seems that the international donor community has so far not been able to develop adequate instruments for dealing with the problems posed by state failure. We see two reasons for this: (i) there is growing recognition within the donor community that the lack of absorptive capacity, or bad economic policies in the partner country can actually make aid counterproductive, even harmful; and (ii) it is very difficult to manage effective development cooperation with weak governments. Channelling aid through NGOs, or giving limited aid in the form of capacity-building is clearly not sufficient to solve the problems fragile states face. In order to minimize distortions caused by aid, the literature advocates a policy based selective approach, i.e., limiting aid funds to recipients with 'good policies'. However, failed states (and many weak states for that matter) do not have the capability to formulate good economic policies, and some countries face serious challenges in ...


An SPE method, using RP18 phases, for the simultaneous extraction of caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, paraxanthine, 1-methylxanthine, 3-methylxanthine, 7-methylxanthine, 1-methyluric acid, 1,3-dimethyluric acid, 1,7-dimethyluric acid, and 1,3,7-trimethyluric acid from urine has been developed. Besides a gradient HPLC system for the analysis of the compounds of interest on a LiChrosorb RP-18 (7 microm) column with mobile phase containing 0.05% aq. solution of trifluoroacetic acid and acetonitrile has been elaborated. The procedure has been successfully applied to the analysis of methylxanthines and methyluric acids in urine of patients with chronic asthma treated with theophylline and in urine of healthy subjects.


Background: Although lidocaine inferior alveolar nerve block is a common dental injection in case of managing mandibular teeth, it may not be the first choice in specific situations. Patients on warfarin therapy are at high risk of bleeding during dental procedures. In this study we aimed to investigate and compare the efficacy of articaine buccal infiltration in mandibular teeth extraction with lidocaine inferior alveolar nerve block for extraction of mandibular teeth in patients on warfarin treatment.
Methods: Patients included in the present study were on warfarin treatment and referred for simple dental extraction. Patients were divided randomly in two groups, one group received standard inferior alveolar nerve block (1.8 ml of 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 adrenaline) and the second group received buccal infiltration supported with lingual infiltration using 4% articaine and 1:100,000 adrenaline. Data was analyzed by descriptive analysis using SPSS program V.17. A Mann-Whitney U test to compare the results and p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: A total of 23 adult patients (10 women and 13 men) aged 40 to 57 years (mean=48.9) were recruited into the study with 6 excluded as they needed a second local anesthetic cartridge to obtain profound anesthesia. The success rate of inferior alveolar nerve block using lidocaine was 81.8% while the success rate for articaine buccal infiltration in obtaining good profound pulpal anesthesia was 66.6%. Both surgeons and patients were satisfied with anesthesia using both drugs.
Conclusion: Buccal infiltration of 4% Articaine for mandibular teeth can have a high success rate using one local anesthetic cartridge, and is considered a good alternative option for nerve block in patients on warfarin treatment to avoid complication related to the nerve block.


Sociology could not be bypassed by the impact of feminist theories. Women's population in religions. The increase of interest in women's religiousness on areas of ex Yugoslavia. Why have women been ignored and marginalised by the society and the Church? What are feminist theories? Two kinds of feminist theories. Anthropocentrism. An attitude of traditionalists to feminism. A woman in written religious sources. How much has the stand view on the period influenced the position of women in religions? A woman in traditions of the Asian and Far East religions. A woman in the Abraham's religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). When do feminist theories appear? Gender studies. Feminist theories in different religious traditions. What is required in feminist theories? The position of a woman in society and culture. A woman in the role of the religious leader. Feminist theology. The critics of feminist theories.


Nearly all autonomous robotic systems use some form of motion planning to compute reference motions through their environment. An increasing use of autonomous robots in a broad range of applications creates a need for efficient, general purpose motion planning algorithms that are applicable in any of these new application domains. This thesis presents a resolution complete optimal kinodynamic motion planning algorithm based on a direct forward search of the set of admissible input signals to a dynamical model. The advantage of this generalized label correcting method is that it does not require a local planning subroutine as in the case of related methods. Preliminary material focuses on new topological properties of the canonical problem formulation that are used to show continuity of the performance objective. These observations are used to derive a generalization of Bellman's principle of optimality in the context of kinodynamic motion planning. A generalized label correcting algorithm is then proposed which leverages these results to prune candidate input signals from the search when their cost is greater than related signals. The second part of this thesis addresses admissible heuristics for kinodynamic motion planning. An admissibility condition is derived that can be used to verify the admissibility of candidate heuristics for a particular problem. This condition also characterizes a convex set of admissible heuristics. A linear program is formulated to obtain a heuristic which is as close to the optimal cost-to-go as possible while remaining admissible. This optimization is justified by showing its solution coincides with the solution to the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation. Lastly, a sum-of-squares relaxation of this infinite-dimensional linear program is proposed for obtaining provably admissible approximate solutions.


North-African planthopper genus Lethierium Dlabola, 1980 is revised. Lethierium cedricolum (Dlabola, 1989), L. juniperi (Bergevin, 1915), and L. reiberi (Lethierry, 1878) are redescribed, with new records provided. Two new species are described from Central MoroccoL. carinatum sp. nov. from Middle Atlas Mountains and L. grandilobum sp. nov. from High Atlas Mountains. L. juniperi is recorded for the first time from Morocco. A key to species of the genus is provided. The phylogenetic relationships of Lethierium Dlabola within the subfamily Hysteropterinae are discussed.


Abstract Torr, O, Randall, T, Knowles, R, Giles, D, and Atkins, S. The reliability and validity of a method for the assessment of sport rock climbers' isometric finger strength. J Strength Cond Res 36(8): 2277–2282, 2022—Isometric strength of the finger flexors is considered to be one of the main physical determinants of sport rock climbing performance. We set out to determine the test-retest reliability and criterion validity of a low resource maximal isometric finger strength (MIFS) testing protocol that uses a pulley system to add or remove weight to/from a climber's body. To determine test-retest reliability, 15 subjects' MIFS was assessed on 2 occasions, separated by a minimum of 48 hours. Body mass and maximum load were recorded on both occasions. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) between visits for all variables were very good (ICC > 0.91), with small bias and effect sizes—particularly when expressed as a percentage of body mass (ICC = 0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.93–0.99). To determine the criterion validity of MIFS and climbing ability, data of 229 intermediate to higher elite climbers were compared. Pearson's product moment correlations demonstrated good agreement, again particularly between total load when expressed as a percentage of body mass and climbing performance (r = 0.421–0.503). The results illustrate the sensitivity of a simple test for the determination of MIFS in intermediate to height elite climbers from an ecologically valid, climbing specific test that only requires equipment found at most climbing walls. This low resource test protocol for the assessment of isometric finger strength has wide-reaching utility, for instance when assessing strength before and after a training intervention or when prescribing load intensities for exercises aimed at improving maximal finger strength.


Information consulting is very important in the effective implementation of business processes. Its emergence provides an opportunity to talk about new trends in the management and development of socio- economic processes in Azerbaijan. Information consulting is a dynamic, interactive process that facilitates teaching and research in which librarians and information professionals have a common language. Librarians need to be effective advisors to stay up to date. Libraries and librarians who are not effective in business processes will, of course, be left out of these processes. Information consulting is a model that reflects both the classical and experimental period of libraries. The title "Information Consultant" reflects a business approach to information services. The importance of information consulting is that the consultant is very valuable for clients and their businesses by interacting extensively with clients and actively supporting their information needs. Information consulting transforms the business goals of leading companies into innovative solutions. In the past, information consultants were usually librarians who conducted a full survey for clients and prepared the information. For decades, information consultants were considered to be the ones who conveyed accurate information by examining obscure information. Companies hired them to find information in libraries that was difficult or too expensive for staff. However, as information technology advances, information consultants are required to provide information in a narrower range, i.e. on only a few key topics. During this period the librarian's help is needed in any field of research. Because libraries have more opportunities to conduct research in any field of knowledge. Otherwise, it will take a lot of time to find the relevant area, which can be more useful, by obtaining the necessary information and moreьdetailed information from the innumerableьinformation. The creation of the Internet inьlibraries has stimulated the development ofьconsulting services for various categories ofьreaders. This requires professional knowledge of modern technologies from the library staff. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to analyze the role of library activities in the formation of the business environment and information support in the field of management and business, study the features of information consulting in the information support of the business environment and ways to improve the efficiency of libraries inthe field of information support for business structures. Methods. Methods of research- complex methods were used in preparing the article. Profiled publications were analyzed and structural analysis, method of analysis and synthesis, method of interpretation were used. In the course of the research, the experience of National Library of Azerbaijan named M. F. Akhundov was taken as a basis, attention was paid to the results of observations. At the same time, the methods of interviewing, questionnaires and interviews with users of bibliographic information in the relevant field were discussed. Results. In the process of providing information and consulting services, there is a tendency to improve traditional information products and services through the intellectualization of information and library activities, the use of new technological approaches and the perception of more complex consumer requirements by library specialists. Thus, library specialists can determine priority types of services, based on the requests of readers, and, on their basis, forecast and develop information and consulting activities. Determining the specific benefits of these services, that is, their assessment and monitoring allows the library to manage its activities, to determine its strategy depending on the current situation. Scientific novelty. This article is the first article examining the activities of library consulting centers in providing information to the business environment in the Republic of Azerbaijan. On the basis of marketing research, specialists of the National Library of the Republic can determine priority types of services in accordance with the requirements of readers and develop on their basis information and consulting activities through forecasting. Evaluating and monitoring these services allows the library to manage its activities and determine its strategy depending on the current situation.


Along with WIMAX, Wi-Fi technology is one of the standards for construction of broadband wireless networks, WLAN, and provides an opportunity to ensure data communication at the distance of up to 100 m with the rate of 11-300 Mbit/sec within the range of 2.4-2.5 or 5.9 GHz. Along with a number of advantages (rate of scanning, equipment commissioning, data communication, possibility of informatisation of rural and remote areas), the main disadvantage of Wi-Fi networks is the low level of protection against unauthorized access. The current article focuses on problems related to such use of the Wi-Fi technology posing a threat to information security. It elaborates on the main vulnerabilities of the Wi-Fi technology and points out drawbacks of a legal nature. Finally, it suggests solutions to increased cybersecurity on the background of the mounting use of Wi-Fi technology in Ukraine.


In the last few years, in industries, systems are becoming very complex and several technologies have already been introduced for industrial automation such as some newly introduced connectivity solutions like Ethernet, Wireless LAN, Wi-Fi, GPRS, etc. This paper provides an overview on recent development of several technologies used in the industrial automation.


We present a model for the thermally activated propagation of cracks in elastic matrices. The propagation is considered as a subcritical phenomenon, the kinetics of which being described by an Arrhenius law. In this law, we take the thermal evolution of the crack front into account, assuming that a portion of the released mechanical energy is transformed into heat in a plastic process zone. We show that such a model leads to a two-phase crack propagation: a first phase at low velocity in which the temperature elevation is of little effect and the propagation is mainly governed by the mechanical load and by the toughness of the medium, and a second phase in which the crack is thermally weakened and propagates at greater velocity. Such a dual behavior can potentially explain the usual stick-slip in brittle fracturing, and we illustrate how with numerical simulations of mode I cracks propagating in thin disordered media. In addition, we predict the existence of a limiting ambient temperature above which the weakened phase ceases to exist and we propose this critical phenomenon as a novel explanation for the brittle-ductile transition of solids.


The present invention is based upon the discovery that a MeOH extract of Anabaena affinis strain VS-1 showed strong cytotoxicity to L1210 murine leukemia cells, and from that extract was isolated the compounds having the following structures, Compounds 1 and 2. These two compounds are believed to be responsible for the cytotoxicity of the marine organism. This is the first report of the isolation and characterization of pyrrolo 3,2-d!pyrimidine derivatives as biosynthetic products. ##STR1##


The use of location based services has increased significantly over the last few years. However, location information is only sparsely used as a security mechanism. One of the reasons for this is the lack of location verification techniques with global coverage. Recently, a new method for authenticating signals from Global Navigation Satellite Systems(GNSS) such as GPS or Galileo has been proposed. In this paper, we analyze the security of this signal authentication mechanism and show how it can be used to establish a secure location verification service with global coverage. This new security service can be used to increase the security of various different applications, even if they are not directly connected to navigation or positioning.


The In-Vessel Viewing System (IVVS) in ITER consists of six identical units which are deployed between pulses or during shutdown, to perform visual examination and metrology of plasma facing components. The system is housed in dedicated ports at B1 level, with deployment at the level between the divertor cassettes and the lowermost outboard blanket modules. Boron carbide shielding blocks are envisaged to protect the sensitive components of the IVVS from damage during operations, and personnel from radiation fields. In order to progress the design of the IVVS beyond the pre-conceptual stage, analyses were conducted using MCNP to determine the acceptability of a series of different shielding configurations.


Orbital angular momentum (OAM) interferometers have attracted great attention in metrology. However, OAM interferometers usually have large sizes and are difficult to align. OAM-based wavefront-splitting interferometer (WSI-OAM) can achieve nano-displacement measurement with compact size and easy to align. In this manuscript, we propose and demonstrate a nano-displacement measurement system based on WSI-OAM. A resolution of 0.1 nm with an uncertainty of 0.013 nm is achieved with measurement accuracy higher than 99.87% and linearity close to 99%. This work offers a practical approach to miniaturize and integrate OAM interferometers in metrology.


Existing, home networking protocols such as UPnP are not ready to support media streaming services among home networks. Furthermore, a home router with NAT makes it difficult to provide such home-to-home network services. Considering the constraints of real home network environments such as these, we propose a solution that offers a personal control space so that users can freely control their own home devices and remote devices on their moving UPnP-enabled networks with zero-configuration. For this, we have implemented the personal mobile A/V control point (PMCP) and the UPnP relay.


Background and Objectives: Quantifying the uncertainties of the parameters of hydrological models are the role of great importance in water resource management and is a challenge that due to the large number of parameters and lack of proper physical understanding of them, these models face problems in the calibration stage. Considering the importance of water resources in Iran and the need to investigate uncertainty in order to achieve reliable results, the purpose of this study is to investigate, identify and quantify parameters uncertainty of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and their performance to predict watershed runoff. The Kashfrood river is a semi-arid large-scale basin in northeastern Iran using a Monte Carlo chain-based Markov chain simulation method called the Differential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis algorithm (DREAM-ZS). Material and Methods: With the purpose of assess the uncetainty in this study only 20 out of 29 available parameters were selected and evaluated based on Regional Sensitivity Analysis (RSA) as sensitive parameters. In order to optimize the model and quantify the parameters uncertainty, scenarios S1 (first scenario) and S2 (second scenario), which belong to the DREAM-ZS algorithm, have been defined. The prior parameter ranges of the S1 scenario were determined using the final calibration of parameter ranges in SWAT-Calibration and Uncertainty Program (SWAT-CUP) software and Sequential Uncertainty Fitting version 2 (SUFI 2) algorithm, and the prior ranges of the S2 scenario were determined using a compromising approach between the prior ranges of the SWAT-CUP and posterior ranges from S1 scenario. In this study, the parameters, uncertainties and statistical analysis have to be computed via an appropriate likelihood function. Therefore, the Differential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM-ZS) combined with the standard least squares (SLS) as a simple formal likelihood function. Also, to evaluate the performance of the model uncertainty in the two mentioned scenarios, evaluation criteria including P-factor, d-factor, Nash–Sutcliffe (NS), Total Uncertainty Index (TUI) and Average Deviation Amplitude (ADA) were used. Results: P-factor, d-factor, Nash–Sutcliffe (NS), Total Uncertainty Index (TUI) and Average Deviation Amplitude (ADA) showed that the S2 scenario has a better performance than scenario S1 in reducing forecast uncertainties. According to S1 simulation, the NS coefficient ranged from 0.54 to 0.72, while in S2 simulation, it ranged from 0.63 to 0.78. The TUI for total uncertainty was in a range of 0.2–0.6 and 0.22–0.66 for S1 and S2 scenarios, respectively. The S1 and S2 simulations led to the TUI of 0.63–0.94 and 0.74–1.22 for parameter uncertainty, respectively. Finally, ADA index for total uncertainty was 0.098 and 0.445 for S1 and S2 scenarios, while in accordance to S1 and S2 simulations, the ADA index for parameter uncertainty was 0.098 and 0.451, respectively. Conclusion: The DREAM-ZS algorithm improved the calibration efficiency of the model and led to the presentation of more real values of runoff simulation parameters by the SWAT model in the Kashafrood River Basin.


20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) is a microcirculatory cytochrome P450-derived eicosanoid shown to increase smooth muscle contractions and proliferation, stimulate endothelial dysfunction and activation, and promotes hypertension. We developed a mouse model (Cyp4a12tg) in which the expression of Cyp4a12, the sole 20-HETE synthase in mouse, is under the control of the doxycycline (DOX) promoter. Administration of DOX to Cyp4a12tg mice increased blood pressure (131±3 vs 100±2 mmHg, p<0.05), which was prevented by co-treatment with the 20-HETE antagonist, 20-HEDGE (96±3 mmHg, p<0.05). Media-to-lumen ratio and medial cross sectional area of renal microvessels from DOX-treated Cyp4a12tg mice significantly increased compared to untreated (M/L, 0.15±0.01 vs 0.07±0.01; mCSAx103 10.8±0.92 vs. 6.4±0.48 mm2); these increases were abolished by co-treatment with 20-HEDGE. Cardiac output and heart rate were unchanged, whereas %EF and %FS were reduced and LV volume and diameter at systole increased in DOX-treated Cyp4a12tg. Total peripheral resistance (TPR) was significantly increased in DOX-treated Cyp4a12tg mice (8.00±0.39 vs 6.77±0.36 mmHg/ml/min, p<0.05); co-treatment with 20-HEDGE decreased (p<0.0%) DOX-induced TPR in Cyp4a12tg mice (7.45±0.22 mmHg/ml/min). These results indicate that activation of Cyp4a12-20-HETE synthase causes hypertension, microvascular remodeling, and cardiac dysfunction. The results also suggest that 20-HETE promotes hypertension by increasing TPR. However, the mechanisms underlying Cyp4a12-20-HETE-driven microvascular remodeling and cardiac dysfunction are yet to be explored.

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— Fraud is defined as any purposeful or deliberate act including cunning, deception, or other unfair means to deprive someone of property or money. Nowadays, fraud-related activities are growing at a dizzying rate, causing substantial economic losses every year. For an adequate analysis of this phenomenon, it is necessary to have data that evidences this behavior. Even so, given that these data are scarce and difficult to find, generating synthetic data for their study is a viable option. We designed two algorithms to generate text to create a synthetic data set that allows fraud analysis. These algorithms rely on the Fraud Triangle Theory proposed by Donald R. Cressey and use Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) and Long Short-Term Memory Networks (LSTM), respectively. The datasets generated were analyzed from the semantic point of view, giving a score about their readability and grammar consistency. The results obtained from this evaluation indicate that the data generation architecture proposed using the LSTM algorithm provides better performance in sentence readability (efficiency greater than 70%) than RNN (less than 40%). With LSTM, it was possible to synthesize a comprehensive data set related to the fraud triangle's vertices. This will make it easier to investigate fraudulent actions that are linked to human behavior. We will present a fraud predictor system based on machine learning techniques in the future.


This study is focusing on ripple elimination in the band pass filter. There are generally two design methods in IIR filter design, which are a direct method and an indirect one. The indirect design method that designs the digital IIR LPF using the prototype analog LPF is applied to this study. A Butterworth filter and a Chebyshev filter are the typical prototype analog LPFs. This study shows characteristics of the digital IIR LPFs that are transformed from the prototype analog LPFs. The designed Butterworth and Chebyshev IIR LPFs are also designed as the band pass filters by frequency transformation in order to compare with the proposed cascading Chebyshev BPFs. This study shows frequency characteristics between the transformed IIR BPFs and the proposed cascading Chebyshev BPFs as well. The proposed cascading Chebyshev BPF is designed by cascading the different orders of Chebyshev BPFs. The aspect of the cascading filter is offsetting the ripples to descend them while the pass band ripples of the Chebyshev filter are ascending and vice versa. The designed cascading Chebyshev filter shows the flatness and the sharpness, which represent the advantages of Butterworth filter in the pass band and of Chebyshev filter in the transition band respectively. This result verifies the validity of the designed filter.


A method is described for computing the effective capacity of muscle fibers, C = Q/V where Q is the charge stored, and V is the membrane potential, using a standard two-microelectrode, constant current injection technique. The method is used to compare physical (or effective) capacity of frog muscle fibers bathed in a low conductivity, 2.5 mMK+ solution, with circuittheory derived quantities in the same cells and in control fibers. No differences can be discerned and it is concluded that low conductivity of physiological solutions, per se, does not significantly reduce the length constant of frog muscle transverse tubules.


A time study of the incorporation of tritiated thymidine into the thymus of Fischer rats ranging from 15 days to one year of age has been made. The data obtained from both autoradiographic and histological analyses indicate that the mitotic activity in the thymus of young animals is much higher than in old animals. The medium thymocyte, by virtue of its higher relative proliferative capacity, is responsible for the greater portion of cellular production during the intense pre‐pubertal growth phase of the thymus. A decrease in proliferative capacity of medium thymocytes occurs between 60 and 90 days of age, which appears to initiate the onset of age involution of the thymus. The data further indicate that small thymocytes are cells which do not undergo division.


In recent years, there has been increased use of electronic healthcare (e-health) in developing countries. E-health can contribute immensely to addressing the myriad of health challenges facing these countries (e.g., extending geographic access to care, improving management of health information). The emergence of e-health, however, has raised individuals' concerns about personal health information (PHI) privacy, being often identified as a key barrier to the successful implementation of e-health. To ensure the sustained growth and development of ehealth in developing countries it is important to understand and respond appropriately to individuals' concerns regarding the electronic storage, use and communication of PHI as well as the factors driving these concerns. This paper reports on a study which seeks to address the above research problem by developing and examining a model of key determinants of individual PHI privacy concerns in developing countries. More specifically, the study examines a model of the impacts of individual characteristics such as gender, individual experiences such as computer experience, and individual beliefs such as trust in e-health systems and trust in health services providers, on PHI privacy concerns. A survey study which tests the proposed model in the healthcare setting of Ghana, a Sub-Saharan African nation, is outlined. Implications for research and practice are also discussed.


The deforestation in Indonesia is already alarming. One of the strategies used by the government to overcome forest deforestation is social forestry. This program is called PHBM (Pengelolaan Hutan Bersama Masyarakat/Joint Forest Management) which is basically a partnership program. This study aims at describing the partnership program between a local organization (i.e. LMDH) and a government unit (i.e. RPH of Perhutani) within the PHBM program. The objectives of this study are to (a) describe the model of partnerships between LMDH and RPH Besowo for sustainable forest management and local community empowerment; (b) determine the contribution of the forest to the national economy and rural household income; and (c) determine the obstacles commonly found in Besowo forest that have to be faced during the implementation of the partnerships. The study shows that with good partnership between these two units, the prosperity of the local community can be enhanced and the forest preservation can be maintained. The model of the partnerships in this particular area in Indonesia is expected to be applicable as well in other rural areas in Indonesia, as well as in other developing countries.


Despite the rather long period of solving environmental issues and research, the problems of attracting green financial instruments as sources of financing and stimulating the development and implementation of clean technologies have not been sufficiently studied. The aim of the study is to: conduct a theoretical analysis of the available data; identify trends and study green financial instruments and propose their classification; formulate hypotheses for the development of green financial instruments; and apply empirical methods of analysis to identify the dynamics of the development of environmental taxation in the EU budget. A theoretical analysis of available sources identified existing green financial instruments, which were classified as: (a) aimed at improving existing technologies for the production of goods and services through the development of greening and eco-modernization projects that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; (b) aimed at the development and implementation of innovative projects that change the technology for the production of goods and services, completely eliminating the emission of greenhouse gases. The hypotheses put forward for the study of the management of green financial instruments through the use of financial management mechanisms are formulated through theoretical analysis based on the environmental taxation of production technologies.


In this paper we identify and discuss technical issues we consider crucial to the HPCC program. The focus is on the usefulness of scalable parallel computers for National Challenge problems. We identify three interrelated aspects of usefulness: performance, programmability, and the role of an application-driven design philosophy. We discuss the importance of algorithm design and computational model development and advocate the design of libraries and software environments to bridge the gap between algorithm designer and application programmer. Finally, we consider the role of applications for solving National Challenge problems. "This work was supported by the Advanced Research Projects Agency under contract DABT63-92-C-0022. The conlenl of the information does nol necessarily re:!lect the position or policy or the Uuited States Government and no official endorsement should be inferred.


This study aimed to investigate the effects of estrogen in combination with aspirin and intrauterine balloon on the uterine endometrial repair and reproductive prognosis in patients after surgery for severe intrauterine adhesion (sIUA). We prospectively recruited 114 patients with sIUA. Intrauterine device (IUD) was placed and oral estrogen was administered after surgery. Patients were divided into control group and aspirin group. In addition, patients in aspirin group were subdivided into nonballoon group and balloon group. Results showed that, after therapy, the increase in endometrial thickness of aspirin groups was superior to control group (P < 0.05). The scores of intrauterine adhesion and menstruation were significantly improved in balloon group as compared to nonballoon group and control group, and significant differences were also observed between nonballoon group and control group (P < 0.05). Of 97 patients, 44.3% became pregnant after surgery, the live birth rate was 27.8%, and the miscarriage rate was 37.2%, but there were no significant differences among three groups (P > 0.05). Thus, aspirin may promote the uterine endometrial growth and repair after surgery for sIUA, and IUD in combination with intrauterine balloon may reduce the recurrence of intrauterine adhesion, but their effect on the reproductive prognosis is required to be further studied.


Animal models of human cancer offer the potential to study human tumor growth kinetics, genetic variance among human cancers, and provide in vivo platforms for drug efficacy testing. In particular, immunodeficient mouse models have been invaluable in modeling a wide range of human cancers. However, some cancer lines don't grow well in the available mouse models or show variability in growth kinetics from mouse to mouse, making drug efficacy studies difficult due to differences in tumor size at the onset of treatment. These challenges are also seen in patient derived xenograft (PDX) models, in addition to long timeframes to obtain sufficient mice with PDX tissue growth for drug efficacy studies. Mice are also limited in tumor growth potential with regard to humane endpoints and small size also limits the volume of blood that can be collected for analysis. An immunodeficient rat model could provide a solution to some of these issues. A rat model would allow for larger tumor size, easier surgical manipulation, and greater volume of tissue and blood sampling for downstream analysis. In addition, large tumors from rats could be serially transplanted into mice for drug efficacy testing and could provide a large number of transplanted mice in a shorter period of time compared with serially transplanting from mouse to mouse. We have created an immunodeficient rat model with a functional deletion of the Rag2 gene. This knockout, created using spermatogonial stem cells, lacks mature B and T cells. To assess the capability of the Rag2 knockout rat to accept human xenografts, we transplanted 2 commercially available human cancer cell lines into our animals. The human REH acute lymphocytic leukemia cell line was transplanted via intravenous injection and the human glioblastoma cell line U87MG was transplanted subcutaneously. Both cell lines survived in the Rag2 knockout rat and resulted in the growth of tumors comprised of human cells. Studies are underway to characterize the Rag2 knockout rat's ability to grow other human cell lines, including those that do not grow well in mice, and PDX tissues. Citation Format: Fallon K. Noto, Angela Arey, Christopher McClain, Wei Zhang, Tseten Yeshi. A novel immunodeficient rat for modeling human cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 807. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-807


This new toolchain for accelerating application on CPU-FPGA platforms, called Courier-FPGA, extracts runtime information from a running target binary, and re-constructs the function call graph including input-output data. Then, it synthesizes hardware modules on the FPGA and makes software functions on CPU by using Pipeline Generator. The Pipeline Generator also builds a pipeline control program by using Intel Threading Building Block (Intel TBB) to run both hardware modules and software functions in parallel. Finally, Courier-FPGA's Function Off-loader dynamically replaces and off-loads the original functions in the binary by using the built pipeline. Courier-FPGA performs the off-loading without user intervention, source code tweaks or re-compilations of the binary. In our case studies, Courier-FPGA was used to accelerate a histogram-of-gradients (HOG) feature detection program on the Zynq platform. A series of functions were off-loaded, and the program was sped up 3.98 times by using the built pipeline.


In this paper, we construct and then prove the up-to constants uniqueness of the natural measure on several random fractals, namely the SLE cut points, SLE boundary touching points, CLE pivotal points and the CLE carpet/gasket. As an application, we also show the equivalence between our natural measures defined in this paper (i.e. CLE pivotal and gasket measures) and their discrete analogs of counting measures in critical continuum planar Bernoulli percolation in [Garban-Pete-Schramm, J. Amer. Math. Soc. , 2013]. Although the existence and uniqueness for the natural measure for CLE carpet/gasket have already been proved in [Miller-Schoug, arXiv:2201.01748], in this paper we provide with a different argument via the coupling of CLE and LQG.


'China's North Korean and Mongolian Strategy: A Contemporary Version of'Manchukuo' Model', Masako Ikegami (GPI Policy Expert Member and Professor and Director, Center for Pacific AsiaStudies (CPAS), Stockholm University)By abusing its rapidly growing economic and military power, Hu Jintao's China is assuming a highlyaggressive stance to its neighboring countries geopolitically important to China, who are rich innatural resources yet politically vulnerable. North Korea is a prominent case, and the case hasimplications also for Myanmar and Mongolia. If Japan's Manchukuo policy in the 1930s is interpretedas (1) a large investment in economic infrastructure for extracting natural resources, (2) militaryinterventions for protecting economic interests, and (3) social-political absorption by means of apuppet government, among others, China's current strategy toward its neighboring countries can wellbe explained with such a historical model.


In 'In Search of Removal Jurisdiction', in NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW, Scott Dodson attempts to delineate appropriate boundaries between rules of subject matter jurisdiction and rules of judicial procedure, in the context of removal time limits. My recent work, on the other hand, has sought to define, clearly and cleanly, distinct boundaries between subject matter jurisdiction and the substantive merits of federal claims of right. Dodson argues that we must develop a 'broader understanding of the interrelationship and boundaries among the trichotomy of jurisdiction, procedure, and merits.' I agree and this essay is an initial move towards that understanding. It examines each pair in the conceptual triangle and considers the connections among each pair and how to distinguish and disentangle each pair of concepts.


In 1985/86, Carl Verge conducted a survey of clergy belief and practice within The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC). In 2014, Adam Stewart and Andrew Gabriel conducted a follow-up survey of PAOC clergy to determine if any changes to belief and practice had occurred within this group during the last three decades. In this article we, first, describe the methodologies used in both surveys, second, compare and discuss the relationship between graduate education in religion and clergy belief and practice in 1985/86 and 2014, and, third, describe the overall decrease that has occurred in clergy commitment to traditional Pentecostal belief and practice since 1985/86. Finally, we conclude by proposing a theoretical framework developed by the sociologist of religion Peter Berger that helps to explain the change in commitment to traditional modes of pentecostal belief and practice among PAOC clergy as part of much broader realignments occurring across numerous religious traditions in late modern society.


Platelets are activated by many different agonists that act synergistically. Since there is a characteristic pattern of responses to each agonist, and since there is a clear distinction between weak and strong agonists, understanding the nature of the synergism and its physiologic significance requires characterization of the pattern of responses to the synergistic action of the various agonists. Shape change, aggregation, and secretion of ATP by human platelets in citrated plasma were analyzed after activation by ADP, epinephrine, arachidonic acid, gamma-thrombin, or collagen, either singly or in pairs. The patterns of responses were characteristic of the agonist in higher concentration relative to its threshold concentration; if neither was clearly higher, the pattern of responses was intermediate between the responses characteristic of each agonist. No combination of weak agonists had the characteristics of a strong agonist. These results help define the extent to which platelet responses can be attributed to the synergistic actions of weak agonists.


Abstract : This study asks what shortcoming exists hindering information sharing across the U.S. Government to combat transnational organized crime (TOC). A comprehensive review of national strategies, law, and scholarly works establish the immediate security and economic threat posed by criminal organizations worldwide. The confluent business models shared by terrorist and TOC organizations requires an equally unified effort to combat these threats. By employing a levels of analysis approach to disaggregate national level, organizational level and individual level factors, four gaps emerge to combat TOC. First, divergent strategies to combat terrorist and TOC organizations are revealed. Second, the current process for information sharing relies on gate keepers access to stove piped information. Third, the absence of a lead agency to combat TOC. Finally, bureaucratic boundaries to sharing information persist. To address these shortcomings, five recommendations are provided. First, a single national strategy clearly representing the convergence between terrorist and TOC organizations. Second, the Director of National Intelligence must have the authorities necessary to unify the intelligence community (IC). Third, reorganization of the IC is urgently needed. Fourth, designate the National Counter Terrorism Center as the lead agency to combat TOC. Finally, a directive to migrate all government networks to cloud technology.


Objectives The main objective was to assess the credibility of the evidence using Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) in oral health systematic reviews on the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) and elsewhere. Study Design and Setting Systematic Reviews or meta-analyses (January 2008-December 2013) from 14 high impact general dental and specialty dental journals and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were screened for meta-analyses. Data was collected at the systematic review, meta-analysis and trial level. Two reviewers applied and agreed on the GRADE rating for the selected meta-analyses. Results From the 510 systematic reviews initially identified 91 reviews (41 Cochrane and 50 non-Cochrane) were eligible for inclusion. The quality of evidence was high in 2% and moderate in 18% of the included meta-analyses with no difference between Cochrane and non-Cochrane reviews, journal impact factor or year of publication. The most common domains prompting downgrading of the evidence were study limitations (risk of bias) and imprecision (risk of play of chance). Conclusion The quality of the evidence in oral health assessed using GRADE is predominantly low or very low suggesting a pressing need for more randomised clinical trials and other studies of higher quality in order to inform clinical decisions thereby reducing the risk of instituting potentially ineffective and/or harmful therapies.


A key question that impacts a family's future when selling the amily business is simply, "As a family, do we continue to pool our sale proceeds and thereby continue as a Family Investment Enterprise (FIE) or, as individuals, do we separate our sale proceeds among family members and end our family business?" This article is meant to serve as a journey for the family of the issues to consider and the benefits and burdens to weigh when deciding whether to continue the family business by implementing the FIE. It serves as the family's road map, or guidebook, to use in conjunction with the services of appropriate professional advisor(s) when deciding whether to pool liquid proceeds following the sale of the family business (i.e., whether to utilize the FIE).


A discussion of a magnetic-dragtachometer equipment designed principally for aircraft use. The principle of operation makes possible an indicator which may be read very accurately under extreme conditions of aircraft use and at the same time may be easily adjusted and maintained. Because of the extreme reading accuracy obtainable, low inherent temperature errors and good compensation are essential. A method of obtaining these features is presented.


~~ Multimedia, including imaging and videoconferencing, is becoming the predominant mode of professional and technical communication. In the medical arena, multimedia systems will have to deal with images of different types, including live videos of the participants in a video conference, and still images or videos of radiological or magnetic resonance (MR) information. In the last 30 years there has been an explosion in our knowledge of the biochemical machinery of the nervous system. This knowledge has been primarily developed from in vitro and in vivo experiments in invertebrates and mammals. In the last few years with the advent of new imaging technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) it has become possible to explore the integrated central nervous system (both biochemically and biophysically) in living humans. A major limitation in utilizing these techniques in an optimal fashion has been the lack of sophisticated image analysis systems which can extract the relevant information from the images in an automated or semiautomated manner. Brain MR images contain massive information requiring lengthy and complex interpretation (as in the identijication of signijicant portions of the image), quantitative evaluation (as in the determination of the size of certain signijicant regions), and sophisticated interpretation (as in determining any image portions which indicate signs of lesions or of disease). In this paper we$rst survey the clinical and research needs for brain imaging. We present the state-of-the-art in relevant image analysis techniques. We then discuss our recent work on the use of novel artijicial neural networks which have a recurrent structure to extract precise morphometric information from MRI scans of the human brain. Finally, experimental data using our novel approach is presented and suggestions are made for future research.


The attitudes of educated Christians to the pagan literary culture of Late Antiquity have long attracted scholarly debate. Jerome and Augustine express the unease that many Christian men of letters felt, and Christian apologists repeatedly attacked the absurdity and immorality of pagan mythology. Yet both Jerome and Augustine nevertheless believed that classical culture could contribute to the Christian life, and mythology remained a source of inspiration for certain Christian authors. This is demonstrated vividly by the writings of two important late antique figures, Sidonius Apollinaris in 5th c. Gaul and the 6th c. African poet Corippus. In their works we can trace an evolving acceptance of classical mythology as a cultural rather than religious inheritance, moving towards the later Christian Humanism of the Renaissance.


In this paper we present a new approach for the automated mapping of formal descriptions into activity thread implementations. The approach resolves semantic conflicts by reordering of statements at compile time. This simplifies the mapping process and considerably improves the efficiency of the generated code. The approach is implemented in the SDL compiler COCOS. We describe the approach as well as its implementation and prove how semantic conflicts are resolved. Finally we present measurements which show the achieved performance gain.


Recycling need not cost more than waste collection and disposal. In fact, recycling can make good economic as well as environmental sense, according to our recently published study The Economics of Recycling and Recycled Materials (l), The study documents 1992 costs of residential curbside recycling versus disposal systems in four Washington State cities Seattle (2), Spokane, Bellingham and Vancouver which are geographically diverse, use different collection and materials marketing approaches and different disposal methods, and range in population size from 47,000 (Vancouver) to 535,000 (Seattle). $200


✓ Leakage of contrast material during angiography is an uncommon phenomenon in hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage. Intraparenchymal extravasation was demonstrated in five of 12 patients in whom serial cartoid angiography was carried out within 5 hours of hemorrhage. Extravasated material, first noted in the arterial phase, grew in size and density until the early venous phase and was still visible on the last 10-sec film. Three of the four in whom the hematoma was evacuated surgically showed clinical improvement.


Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans are found together in the oral biofilms on dental surfaces, but little is known about the ecological interactions between these species. Here, we studied the effects of S. mutans UA159 on the growth and pathogencity of C. albicans. Initially, the effects of S. mutans on the biofilm formation and morphogenesis of C. albicans were tested in vitro. Next, we investigate the influence of S. mutans on pathogenicity of C. albicans using in vivo host models, in which the experimental candidiasis was induced in G. mellonella larvae and analyzed by survival curves, C. albicans count in hemolymph, and quantification of hyphae in the host tissues. In all the tests, we evaluated the direct effects of S. mutans cells, as well as the indirect effects of the subproducts secreted by this microorganism using a bacterial culture filtrate. The in vitro analysis showed that S. mutans cells favored biofilm formation by C. albicans. However, a reduction in biofilm viable cells and inhibition of hyphal growth was observed when C. albicans was in contact with the S. mutans culture filtrate. In the in vivo study, injection of S. mutans cells or S. mutans culture filtrate into G. mellonella larvae infected with C. albicans increased the survival of these animals. Furthermore, a reduction in hyphal formation was observed in larval tissues when C. albicans was associated with S. mutans culture filtrate. These findings suggest that S. mutans can secrete subproducts capable to inhibit the biofilm formation, morphogenesis and pathogenicity of C. albicans, attenuating the experimental candidiasis in G. mellonella model.


Hydroxylaminobenzene mutase is the enzyme that converts intermediates formed during initial steps in the degradation of nitrobenzene to a novel ring-fission lower pathway in Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes JS45. The mutase catalyzes a rearrangement of hydroxylaminobenzene to 2-aminophenol. The mechanism of the reactions and the properties of the enzymes are unknown. In crude extracts, the hydroxylaminobenzene mutase was stable at SDS concentrations as high as 2%. A procedure including Hitrap-SP, Hitrap-Q and Cu(II)-chelating chromatography was used to partially purify the enzyme from an Escherichia coli clone. The partially purified enzyme was eluted in the void volume of a Superose-12 gel-filtration column even in the presence of 0.05% SDS in 25 mM Tris/HCl buffer, which indicated that it was highly associated. When the enzymatic conversion of hydroxylaminobenzene to 2-aminophenol was carried out in 18O-labeled water, the product did not contain 18O, as determined by GC-MS. The results indicate that the reaction proceeded by intramolecular transfer of the hydroxy group from the nitrogen to the C-2 position of the ring. The mechanism is clearly different from the intermolecular transfer of the hydroxy group in the non-enzymatic Bamberger rearrangement of hydroxylaminobenzene to 4-aminophenol and in the enzymatic hydroxymutation of chorismate to isochorismate.


Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) do not reveal a primary immune defect and respond with high numbers of functional polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and specific antibodies to lung infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The mucoid character of P. aeruginosa, an altered epithelial cell surface, and high concentrations of PMN‐derived lysosomal enzymes contribute to impaired bacterial lung clearance and result in chronic infection. Released PMN‐elastase inactivates exotoxin A, the major toxin of P. aeruginosa, thus reducing its virulence. The imbalance between PMN‐proteinases and their inhibitors leads to lung tissue damage, impaired opsonophagocytosis, and T‐cell and B‐cell imbalance. New therapeutical concepts in CF therefore combine anti‐inflammatory drugs with effective antibiotics.


Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/graphene oxide (PVDF/GO) nanocomposites are synthesized and their structural, ferroelectric, and pyroelectric properties are investigated. The dielectric spectrum analysis and P-E loop tests indicate that the nanocomposites exhibit enhanced ferroelectric and pyroelectric properties compared with those of poly(vinylidene fluoride) samples. The isothermal crystallization kinetics of PVDF/GO nanocomposites quantitatively determined by differential scanning calorimetry demonstrates that GOs facilitate the crystallization of the PVDF. Dynamic mechanical analyses on the PVDF/GO reveal that the amorphous and crystalline phases of PVDF are modified by the addition of GO sheets. The GO-enhanced formation of crystalline β phase in PVDF could result from the strong interaction between the –C = O groups in GO and the –CF2 groups in PVDF, and the GO-induced ordering of the microstructures of amorphous and crystalline phases. The results suggest that PVDF/GO nanocomposites could be promising d...


Real-time tracking of moving objects in natural scenes has taken a great role in computer vision. In order to track the targets, it is necessary to determine the object models, but it is hard to determine them in advance. Moreover, to realize real-time operations, each frame operation should be done in a short time. We propose an automatic filter construction system for tracking objects by filter processing. The filters are designed by the system itself in each environment, and are able to extract their color features which are not contained in other areas. The proposed system generates color filters which can derive feature segments using the clustering process. After that, it reconstructs the filter to obtain better performance by the genetic algorithm. We show how the filters are effective for object detection and tracking a target.


In recent years personal computers, PCs, have become more popular and competitive with other computers, in terms of price and memory, to run Monte Carlo (MC) programmes. A few years ago some work was performed to test computer speed, mainly other than PCs, using the MC code EGS4. In the present work a Monte Carlo neutron and photon code, MCNP version 4.2 and 4A, was used to test the speed of various PCs. A benchmark was written, with previously checked results, to test the PCs' speed. PCs used in the test were based on the Intel 486 (33, 66 and 100 MHz) and pentium 90. The benchmark was also used on an upgraded SunSparcstation 4/360. The pentium speed was found to be about 3.5, 2 and 1.5 times faster than that of the 33, 66 and 100 MHz, respectively. The 33 MHz speed was comparable to that of the SunSparcstation. It is concluded that the application of MC code, the cost of the PC and the required speed of results may influence the choice of the PC.


This thesis examines estimation errors which occur in control charts with estimated parameters, the effect that these errors have on the charts and the current methods which aim to account for the errors. There is a particular focus on how these errors affect the average run length of the chart and how to improve the average run length using current methods. The best methods to account for estimation error in Shewhart control charts, from the methods discussed, are the bootstrap method and the reduction of exceedance probability method. Both aim to reduce the probability that the run length of a chart is less than a specified value by adjusting the chart's control limits. However the bootstrap method has the advantage that it can be adapted to other types of control charts including risk-adjusted versions. The bootstrap method is used to analyse the Helping Babies Breath (HBB) training program data to see if there is a clinically relevant change in the probability that an infant survives 24 hours at Haydom Lutheran Hospital, Tanzania. The use of risk-adjusted cumulative sum (CUSUM) charts, with adjusted limits to account for estimation error, shows a decrease in the probability of infants not surviving 24 hours, demonstrating the positive impact of the HBB training program.


Expression of amino acid biosynthesis genes in bacteria is often repressed when abundant supplies of the cognate amino acid are available. Repression of the Bacillus subtilis lysC gene by lysine was previously shown to occur at the level of premature termination of transcription. In this study we show that lysine directly promotes transcription termination during in vitro transcription with B. subtilis RNA polymerase and causes a structural shift in the lysC leader RNA. We find that B. subtilis lysC is a member of a large family of bacterial lysine biosynthesis genes that contain similar leader RNA elements. By analogy with related regulatory systems, we designate this leader RNA pattern the "L box." Genes in the L box family from Gram-negative bacteria appear to be regulated at the level of translation initiation rather than transcription termination. Mutations of B. subtilis lysC that disrupt conserved leader features result in loss of lysine repression in vivo and loss of lysine-dependent transcription termination in vitro. The identification of the L box pattern also provides an explanation for previously described mutations in both B. subtilis and Escherichia coli lysC that result in lysC overexpression and resistance to the lysine analog aminoethylcysteine. The L box regulatory system represents an example of gene regulation using an RNA element that directly senses the intracellular concentration of a small molecule.


We report one case of primary acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and one case of refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation (RAEB-T) each presenting concomitantly with multiple myeloma, an unusual finding. The twin diagnoses in each patient were confirmed by cytochemical and immunohistochemical studies, and in one of our cases, by ultrastructural, flow cytometric, and molecular studies. The last three methods have not been previously used to document this phenomenon.


Even now, six years after the very odd presidential election of 2000, it is hard to look back without fixating on Florida and the courts. But these absorbing soap operas should not obscure the other historic headline of that election: The national popular vote loser nonetheless won the electoral college vote. Is this a flaw in our Constitution? Should we scrap the electoral college in favor of direct popular vote? Practically speaking, can we do so? My analysis proceeds in three parts. First, I shall critique standard historical accounts of, and justifications for, the electoral college. Next, I shall consider, and try to counter, prominent contemporary apologies for the current system. Finally, I shall show how Americans in the near future could, without amending the Constitution, implement a system of national popular election.


Problems in designing hydraulic brake systems of cars have been analyzed. The study of the braking process has conductedconsidering the distribution of forces on the axles during braking. The general support model research and support geometriccharacteristics are developed. The calculation of the car brake system has been conducted that enables to determine the load onthe caliper during the braking process and using graphic dependencies, and to determine the concentration of maximumstresses in the mounting areas of the support. Based on analytical studies in the Autodesk Fusion 360 3D Modeling program,a design has been implemented that features a smaller metal capacity at the expense of rational design and providing uniformstrength across the entire surface. Adaptive technologies also significantly accelerate the production of new parts due to thelack of need for the production of auxiliary equipment, such as molds.


A longitudinal investigation showed that self-enhancement by social comparison (assessing whether people perceive themselves more positively than they perceive others) was prospectively related to an increase in self-reported adjustment, controlling for the effects of narcissism. Better adjustment, including higher self-esteem, was not prospectively related to an increase in self-enhancement. The investigation also included a diary period, allowing the assessment of intrasubject covariation between daily reports of self-esteem and daily reports of perceived challenge and daily events (positive or negative). High (compared to low) self-enhancers were less likely to report lower self-esteem under higher challenge and less likely to report higher self-esteem under positive events.


To support the rapid growth of demand in passengers and freight, separating trucks and passenger-cars is a potential solution to improve traffic efficiency and safety. The primary purpose of this paper is to comprehensively assess the multilane separate freeway at Huludao Toll Station in Liaoning Province, China. Based on the configuration and segmentation of the freeway near a toll station, a six-step guidance strategy is designed to adapt to the separate organization mode. Five conventional traffic scenarios are designed in the Vissim platform for comparative analysis between different guidance strategies. To investigate the vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) environment, a microscopic testbed is established with cooperative car-following and lane-changing models using the MATLAB platform. The numerical simulation results show that the guidance strategy significantly improves efficiency and safety, and also reduces emissions and fuel consumption. Meanwhile, pre-guidance before toll channels outperforms the scenario only applied with guidance measures after toll plaza. Compared to conventional conditions, the assessment of pollutant emissions and fuel consumption also embodies the superiority of the other five scenarios, especially in the sections of toll plaza and channels with the lowest efficiency and safety level. Generally, all indexes indicate that the cooperative V2I technology is the best alternative for multilane separate freeways.


This research examined whether a sense of belonging in the community and sexual orientation were associated with depression among men. Australian heterosexual (n = 136) and gay (n = 137) men were recruited through a variety of media, including newspapers, radio, and email, and directly at public events and in the street. Responses on the Sense of Belonging Instrument and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales indicated that gay men reported lower levels of sense of belonging to the community and higher levels of depression compared with heterosexual men. Results revealed that sense of belonging to the community mediated the relation between sexual orientation and depression. The findings did not support the additive or moderation models. The results imply that, for the mental health of gay men to improve, their sense of belonging needs to increase but that a reduction in the level of homophobia in the general community would seem necessary for this to occur.


Pediatricians play a leading role in the detection, diagnosis, and management of children with global developmental delay (GDD) and mental retardation (MR). Assessment, investigation, and consultation with the family are the prime responsibility of the developmental pediatrician, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team. The model used by the developmental pediatrician depends on the community health framework. Significant progress has been recently achieved in identifying underlying etiologies, using a variety of laboratory tests including neuroimaging and genetic and metabolic investigations. Although being used to achieve an acceptable yield, this progress in diagnostic investigations should be associated with proper weighing of the value of each test to the diagnostic process. Optimal utilization of this rapidly expanding knowledge can only be accomplished in the setting of in-depth clinical evaluation, including a thoughtful assessment of the child and family needs. In this article, the literature on the process of clinical evaluation and laboratory work-up of the child with GDD/MR is reviewed, with an emphasis on a multidisciplinary team approach to the child and family needs. An integrated model used by the developmental pediatrician that relates to the process of evaluation and management as well as the consequences of the diagnosis on the child, his/her family, and the community is suggested.


Interfacial microenvironments critically define reaction pathways for electrocatalytic processes through a combination of electric field gradients and proton activity. Non-aqueous ionic liquid electrolytes have been shown to sustain enhanced interfacial electric field gradients at intermediate ion concentration regimes of around 1 M, creating local environments that promote CO 2 electroreduction. Notably, water at low concentrations absorbed by non-aqueous electrolytes is usually assumed to be the proton donor for CO 2 reduction. Consumption of protons causes proton donors to become more negative by one unit charge, which significantly modifies the local concentration of charged species and hence should strongly impact local electric fields. Yet, how the coupling between proton donation and changing interfacial electric fields influences electrocatalytic processes in non-aqueous electrolytes remains largely unexplored. In this work, we show that the high activity of 1,3-dialkylimidazolium ionic liquids for CO 2 reduction in acetonitrile-based electrolytes stems from the ability to act as cationic proton donors that release neutral conjugate bases. Using in situ electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, we find that the formation of neutral conjugate bases from imidazolium cations preserves local electric field strengths at electrode-electrolyte interfaces, providing a powerful strategy to maintain an active local microenvironment for CO 2 reduction. In contrast, conditions where water behaves as the primary proton donor generates [OH] - anions as negative "co-ions" in the electric double layer, which weakens the interfacial electric field and significantly compromises the steady-state CO 2 reduction activity. Our study highlights that electrochemical driving forces are highly sensitive to the charge state of both reactant and product species and highlights the fact that the generation of interfacial


Abstract Objectives Previous studies have suggested antidepressant properties for modafinil; however, the underlying mechanisms mediating the antidepressant effect of modafinil have not been well recognized in clinical and animal studies. Nitric oxide (NO) is involved in the pathophysiology of depression. We attempted to investigate the possible role of NO in the antidepressant-like effect of modafinil in mouse forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST). Methods The antidepressant-like effect of modafinil (25, 50 and 75 mg/kg), alone and in combination with l-arginine, l-arg, (100 mg/kg) and NG-l-arginine methyl ester, l-NAME (5 mg/kg), was evaluated using FST and TST. Following behavioral tests, the hippocampi were dissected out to measure nitrite levels. Results Findings suggested that administration of modafinil at doses of 50 and 75 mg/kg significantly reduced immobility time in the FST and TST. Furthermore, administration of l-arg and l-NAME increased and decreased, respectively, the immobility time in the FST and TST. We showed that co-administration of a sub-effective dose of modafinil (25 mg/kg) plus l-NAME potentiated the antidepressant-like effect of the sub-effective dose of modafinil. In addition, co-treatment of an effective dose of modafinil (75 mg/kg) with l-arg attenuated the antidepressant-like effect of the effective dose of modafinil. We showed that the antidepressant-like effect of modafinil is associated with decreased nitrite levels in the hippocampus. Conclusions Our findings for the first time support that the modulation of NO, partially at least, is involved in the antidepressant-like effect of modafinil in mouse FST and TST.


In this chapter, a new concept of the public domain is developed, focusing on the commercial and noncommercial potential of derivative products. This is needed for an empirical assessment of the value of the public domain. The traditional legal definition of the public domain takes the copyright term as the starting point, and defines the public domain as 'out of copyright'. We argue that the public domain matters to society and the economy only when it is used. This requires an assessment from a behavioural perspective, covering all uses that are possible without asking for permission. The resulting complexity (subject matter not qualifying for protection, use relating to underlying ideas, copyright exceptions, private ordering through permissive licensing) needs to be filtered by practices in the media and entertainment industries that are understood to enable unrestricted downstream exploitation. We demonstrate how this conceptual approach can be applied to empirical study in the legal setting of the UK.


Systems genetics is an emerging field based on old approaches going back to the genetic studies performed by Gregor Mendel (Mendel 1866). Mendel's experiments primarily focused on explaining inheritance of single traits and their phenotypes – for example how specific genetic alleles influence colour or size of peas – but recently developed technologies can comprehensively dissect the genetic architecture of complex traits and quantify how genes interact to shape phenotypes by using natural variation or experimental perturbations as a basis to understand links from genotypes to phenotypes. This exciting new area has recently been termed 'systems genetics' (Civelek & Lusis 2014). While the basic, underlying questions are not new, systems genetics builds upon major methodological advances that facilitate the measurement of genotypes and phenotypes in a previously unforeseen and comprehensive manner. With this arsenal at hand, one of the major aims of systems genetics is to understand "how genetic information is integrated, coordinated and ultimately transmitted through molecular, cellular and physiological networks to enable the higher-order functions and emergent properties of biological systems" (Nadeau & Dudley 2011).


The hydration kinetics of four CEM I 52.5 N cements in the presence of two different superplasticizers was studied. The kinetics was characterized by monitoring the evolution of the dynamic modulus at constant frequency on a rotational rheometer. The method consists of predicting the time dependence of the elastic modulus by a kinetic equation of the self-acceleration type and fitting the equation to the experimental data. The model defines two main characteristic constants i.e. the characteristic time which defines the initial rate of hydration and the self-acceleration coefficient. It is shown that the model can accurately predict the initial hydration of cement paste with and without superplasticizer. The effect of the different cement properties and their interaction with superplasticizers can be observed in the kinetics of hydration.


Proton-induced X-ray emission combined with a scanning proton microprobe has been used to investigate the distribution of inorganic elements in silicifying macrohairs from the lemma of the grass Phalaris canariensis L. Results, presented in the form of X-ray spectra and two-dimensional elemental maps, showed that the inorganic elements Si, K, P, S and Cl were spatially organized within the macrohairs during the different stages of silicification. Much lower quantities of all elements except silicon were found in the mature macrohairs. It is suggested that these changes in the inorganic content of the macrohairs are related to a silicification process that is associated with cellular activity.


Objective: We aimed to evaluate the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccines and the frequency of side effects in hemodialysis patients. Methods: Patients receiving regular hemodialysis treatment were included in the study. Patients were asked for their opinions about whether they should have the COVID-19 vaccine. It was recorded which side effects were seen in patients who had received the COVID-19 vaccine. Results: Ninety-two patients who received hemodialysis treatment were evaluated, and 92.4% of them expressed a positive opinion about the COVID-19 vaccine. Patients who were not vaccinated for COVID-19 reported that they were not vaccinated because they thought the vaccine was ineffective. The mean age of patients who did not want to be vaccinated for COVID-19 was lower (P = .019). Among patients who experienced side effects after at least one of the vaccines, and patients who experienced side effects after the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the frequency of side effects was significantly higher in those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (P = .001 and P = .001). When the first dose, second dose, and 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were evaluated together, the relationship between increasing age and the decrease in the frequency of side effects was significant (P = .00, P = .001, and P = .015). Conclusion: The vaccination rate against COVID-19 was high in hemodialysis patients, and the most common reason for vaccine opposition was the thought that the vaccine was ineffective. In addition, the frequency of side effects was lower, it was observed that the side effects decreased with age, and the side effects were more frequent in mRNA. © 2023 Turkish Society of Nephrology. All rights reserved.


Conventional fiber Brillouin-based strain sensors are capable of distributed sensing, making them advantageous over fiber Bragg grating-based sensors for structural monitoring applications. However, Brillouin sensors have low spatial resolution and are inappropriate for dynamic strain measurements as they have large measurement times of several minutes. We present a correlation-based continuous-wave technique for high spatial resolution and distributed dynamic strain measurements using stimulated Brillouin scattering. Using our technique, we have successfully measured dynamic strain from a 5-cm vibrating section, at a sampling rate of 8.8 Hz with a strain accuracy of about /spl plusmn/38 /spl mu//spl epsiv/.


Most non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with epidermal growth factor (EGFR) mutations initially respond to EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs), but these inhibitors are only effective for approximately one year, thus limiting the benefits to patients9 survival. Stratification of patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC would help physicians personalize and optimize patient treatment plans. To this end, we hypothesized that factors residing in the tumor microenvironment play a pivotal role in the evolutionary dynamics of therapeutic response to anti-EGFR therapies. We used the Operetta® High Content Imaging System to track cell dynamics over time under different microenvironmental stresses, and we found that the growth of TKI-resistant cells is more sensitive to glucose starvation than TKI-sensitive cells. To further interrogate cellular metabolism in TKI-sensitive and resistant cells, we utilized both seahorse metabolic assays and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy to monitor the changes in glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation of living cells. We found TKI-resistant cells have higher glycolysis and lower oxidative phosphorylation rates compared to TKI-sensitive cells. Such metabolic reprogramming rendered TKI-resistant cells with lower metabolic plasticity to cope with metabolic stress. Using both genetic and pharmacologic approaches, we then demonstrated that mTORC2 activation contributes to the different metabolic phenotypes between TKI-sensitive and resistant cells. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis showed that the oxidative phosphorylation gene set is significantly enriched in patients with low mTORC2 activation, and the glycolysis gene set is upregulated in patients with high mTORC2 activation, which is correlated with shorter progression-free and overall survival time in patients. Overall, these data suggest that TKI-resistant cells use and require distinct metabolic programs that can be employed to stratify EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients for treatment with EGFR-TKIs. Citation Format: Chun-Te Chiang, Nolan Ung, Alexandra N. Demetriou, Chi-Li Chiu, Niha Choudhury, Cosimo Arnesano, Scott E. Fraser, David B. Agus, Naim Matasci, Dan L. Ruderman, Shannon M. Mumenthaler. Interrogating cellular metabolism reveals mTORC2 as a new biomarker to stratify epidermal growth factor receptor-mutant non-small cell lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2414.


A variational treatment of the polarizability and the photoionization cross-section of shallow donors is developed in the framework of the effective mass-theory. The effects of magnetic fields are considered by means of a variational wave function, which is a linear combination of the cylindrical wave function and the oscillator one. It has been found that the combination wave function gives the best results. The polarizability and the photoionization cross-section are strongly affected by the magnetic field. We give some results for Si, Ge and GaAs and a comparison with literature is presented.


Short-circuit currents, surface electric fields, and axial current densities were measured in electrically grounded guinea pigs exposed to a uniform, vertical, ELF electric field. These data are 70-110% of corresponding values obtained in grounded rats exposed to the same electric field.


Abstarknyo The development of communication technology has penetrated the lives of human beings. One form of communication is the development of new media technologies who gave birth to social media. Political world is also not free from the influence of new media and social media. Social media are like two sides of a coin for political actors. On the one hand, the success by using social media is getting positive support. But on the other hand failure by using social media is the risk by damaging the image. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of social media on political actors. Exposure to the use of social media in political communication becomes the first part of this paper. The second section discusses the challenges faced by political actors in the 2.0 era. The third section gives an offer opportunities for political actors in the utilization of social media. There is also the fourth and final section is a conclusion that contains what should be done by political actors to minimize the risks and maximize the opportunities offered by social media. Keywords: internet, new media, social media, political communication


Numerical modeling of tsunami propagation at the coastal zone has been a daunting task since high accuracy is needed to capture aspects of wave propagation in the more shallow areas. For example, there are complicated interactions between incoming and reflected waves due to the bathymetry, the run-up and run-down flooding phenomena at the beaches or (other) man-made structures that form the coastline, and intrinsically nonlinear phenomena of wave propagation. Numerical modeling of tsunamis with nested methods in shallower areas is computationally expensive and difficult to use in the operational practice. Meanwhile, if a fixed wall boundary condition is used at a certain shallow depth contour, the reflection properties can be unrealistic. To alleviate this, we develop a so-called effective boundary condition as a novel technique to predict tsunami wave run-up along the coast and offshore wave reflections.

The general idea of the effective boundary condition is as follows. From the deep ocean to a seaward boundary, i.e., in the simulation area, the wave propagation is modeled numerically over real bathymetry using either nondispersive, linear, shallow water equations or the dispersive, linear, variational Boussinesq model. The incoming wave is measured at this seaward boundary, and the wave dynamics towards the shoreline and the reflection caused by the bathymetry are modeled analytically. The reflected wave is then influxed back into the simulation area using the effective boundary condition. The location of this seaward boundary point is determined by assessing when nonlinearity starts to play a role in the wave propagation.

The modeling of wave dynamics towards the shoreline is achieved by employing the analytical solution of (i) linear shallow water equations and (ii) nonlinear shallow water equations. The linear approach is started with the simplest case, that is flat bathymetry with closed wall boundary condition. Further, a slowly varying bathymetry case is considered. The analytical solution is based on linear shallow water theory and the Wentzel-Kramer-Brillouin approximation, as well as extensions to the dispersive Boussinesq model. Subsequently, in the nonlinear approach, the coastal bathymetry is approximated by using a mean, planar beach. The run-up heights at the shore and the reflection caused by the slope are then modeled based on nonlinear shallow water theory over sloping bathymetry.

The coupling between the numerical and analytic dynamics in the two areas is handled using variational principles, which leads to (approximate) conservation of the overall energy in both areas. The numerical solution in the simulation area is based on a variational finite element method. Verifications of the effective boundary condition technique and implementation are done in a series of numerical test cases of increasing complexity, including a case akin to tsunami propagation to the coastline at Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia. The comparisons show that the effective boundary condition method gives a good prediction of the wave arriving at the shoreline as well as the wave reflection, based only on the information of the wave signal at this seaward boundary point. The computational times needed in simulations using the effective boundary condition implementation show a reduction compared to times required for corresponding full numerical simulations.


nDNAs of six species of wood and field mice of the genus Apodemus (peninsulae, flavicolis, microps, speciosus, and agrarius), grey rat Rattus norvegicus as well, and house mouse Mus musculus were digested with restriction endonucleases (MspI (CCGG), BspRI (GGCC) and MvaI (CCA/TGG). Two highly representative satellites are found in A.peninsulae (8%) and M.musculus (20%) genomes using BspRI and MvaI. The length of restriction fragments of these components are equal to n x 30 and n x 230 nb, respectively. Based on the results of PDRF of nDNA in rodent interspecies, genetic distances are estimated and phylogenetic tree reconstructed. Among wood mice examined A.sylvaticus and A.flavicollos are most closely related, A.peninsulae is more diverged. Field mouse has approx. equal differences from the european and asian species of wood mice. A middle value of genetic distances is about 7.12% in Apodemus genus, 12.69 and 13.2% between Apodemus with M.musculus and R.norvegicus, respectively.


Background: In 2001, in order to improve the curriculum, the medical school of the University of Barcelona began discussions aimed at defining specific learning outcomes for its medical graduates and, subsequently, evaluating the acquisition of these competencies. Aim: To report the views of our medical students regarding the extent to which they have acquired the learning outcomes previously defined by the faculty. Method: A questionnaire was administered to seventy final year students, who had finished all the course clerkships and they were asked to indicate on a Likert scale their perceived level of acquisition of each learning outcome. Results: Overall, the students report an adequate level of competency and consider themselves able to meet skills targets under supervision in eight of the eleven domains investigated. In three of the domains (patient management, medical information search skills, and decision-making skills and clinical reasoning and judgment) students regarded themselves as only partially competent. These results agree with the global course score of the students, according to the medical school assessment system. Conclusions: The results will allow us to make curricular and methodological changes in order to implement a new outcome-based curriculum.


Thirty-eight traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients who underwent a neuropsychologically oriented milieu rehabilitation program were compared with an historical control group of 38 TBI patients who did not receive this form of rehabilitation. Patients were matched according to admitting Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, age at injury, and gender. Educational level and chronicity of brain injury were not completely matched but were controlled for in statistical analyses. A greater number of TBI patients who received this form of rehabilitation were productive (ie, a student, a worker, or both) compared with the untreated group. A good or excellent working alliance with the rehabilitation staff was significantly related to a positive productivity status. The same finding was observed when assessing the relationship of the working alliance with the patients' families and productivity status. The data support the proposition that specialty neurorehabilitation programs aimed at work reentry may be helpful in a selected group of TBI patients.


This paper argues that Foucault's conception of governmentality provides a powerful tool for understanding learning and education and links the organisation of learning to both politics and economics in developed Western societies. What is offered by Foucault's conception, I will argue, is a new version of superstructural sociology, which provides a means of understanding how educational and economic practices mutually condition and adapt to each other while avoiding the excesses that plagued Marxist analyses in the later 20th century, which represented such processes as the outcome of a necessary determination. Lifelong learning will be identified as a specifically neoliberal form of state reason in terms of its conception, emergence and development. Although it has manifested a uniformly consistent – albeit not exclusive – concern of serving dominant economic interests, the prospects for moving beyond it depend, I argue, on whether the structures of learning created can be harnessed for other ends; that is, whether embryonic within the discursive programme of lifelong learning is the possibility of linking the discourse to a progressive emancipatory project based upon egalitarian politics and social justice.


Kalamazoo, Michigan, public schools have not had nurses employed by the board of education for over a decade when nurses were cut from the school budget as an austerity measure. Approximately 26,000 school-age children live in Kalamazoo County, including a large inner-city, low-income population, many of whom have meager access to health care. Two part-time public health nurses provide consultation and limited direct services. Nazareth College's commitment to community service has resulted in the placement of nursing students in elementary school settings. The nursing faculty orients the students and takes responsibility for their experience. These students have planned and implemented health-promotion projects that have been well received. Suicide prevention, disaster response, nutrition, and personal hygiene are examples of topics. The challenge for school nursing is as great today as it was in 1902 when Lillian Wald first identified a need for school nurses. Through this program, the students are gaining rich experience, increased independence, and a sense of helping to meet a community need as they meet their own learning needs in community health nursing.


Everything you need to deliver safe patient care or to improve patient safety in your organization "This easy-to-read book provides an excellent overview of the patient safety movement in the United States...The author has written a useful book for the professional who needs a foundation in patient safety principles and theory. The book also provides a multitude of resources for the professional interested in gaining a more in-depth knowledge of the strategies and proponents of the patient safety movement."--Journal for Healthcare Quality Understanding Patient Safety is the essential book for anyone seeking to learn the key clinical, organizational, and systems issues in patient safety. Written in a lively and accessible style by one of the world's leaders in the fields of patient safety and quality, Understanding Patient Safety is filled with valuable cases and analyses, as well as up-to-date tables, graphics, references, and tools -- all designed to introduce the patient safety field to medical, nursing, pharmacy, hospital administration, and other trainees, and to be the go-to book for experienced clinicians and non-clinicians alike. Features: Concise coverage of the core principles of patient safety All the key insights to help you understand and prevent a broad range of errors: including medication errors, surgical errors, diagnostic errors, errors at the man-machine interface, and nursing-related errors A focus on how reporting systems, teamwork training, simulation, the malpractice system, and information technology can impact patient safety and quality A practical overview on how to implement an effective safety program in both hospital and ambulatory settings Realistic case studies that illustrate key points and clarify pivotal concepts A detailed glossary, key references, and useful tools, websites, tables, and graphics


The R-matrix method has been applied to study the scattering of electrons by molecular oxygen for a number of internuclear separations, R, including the equilibrium separation of Re approximately=2.3a0. Results have been obtained for 12 scattering symmetries for impact energies ranging from threshold to 1.0 Ryd. Summed cross sections for elastic scattering from the ground state, and the corresponding cross sections for transitions from the ground state to the a 1 Delta g, b1 Sigma g+ and the '6 eV' states of oxygen are presented and are compared with experimental data. Finally, the position and width of the resonance in the 2 Pi g and 2 Pi u scattering symmetries are tabulated for values of R ranging from 1.85 to 2.90 a0.