In this article, we explore artistic research methods by committing ourselves to write it in a sense Cixous is thematizing in her book Three Steps to the Ladder of writing: A way of writing that includes what is banished, considered unclean, the mute and the missing, and by including drawing in the attempt.
Our article's starting point is our experiences working with and producing conventional and publishable academic texts. Our experiences have, in ways that still are not transparent to us, made the transition towards achieving the right skills for producing orthodox academic texts more complicated and hurtful than we could imagine. The desired language, the academic, is a language created to represent reality in transparent ways; you are expected to be able to present the world as a series of findings. Our writing and drawing as creations are counter to this reduction.
The text and the drawings attempt to demonstrate and discuss the possibilities of engaging in writing and drawing as production on its own terms and stop regarding them as activities that mirror what already is. Instead, we aim to experiment and thus maybe create something that was not already there, something new, something that might be missing.


A seasonal, zonally averaged, climate model is developed using a hypothetical meridional circulation, which reproduces the atmospheric dynamical heating of a two-level general circulation model. In order to simulate the seasonal temperature cycle, prognostic equations for the land and ocean temperatures are included in the model. The horizontal heat transport in the ocean is modelled as ordinary diffusion. Small-scale vertical transport of sensible and latent heat is described by simple linear terms. For the long-wave radiation calculations, a simple but efficient emissivity approximation scheme is developed. The short-wave radiation treatment is based on an early version of the Mintz-Arakawa general circulation model. The meridional and seasonal variation of the surface temperature as well as the temperature at the two tropospheric levels are simulated quite well by the model. Concerning surface albedo and planetary albedo, the model gives results which are in good agreement with observed values. Radiative fluxes of the model also compare well with observed values. The sensitivity of the model to changes in incoming solar radiation and carbon dioxide content is in accordance with results obtained from other models. The model, with variation of the Earth's orbital parameters, has also been used for some preliminary experiments. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1982.tb01840.x


BACKGROUND: Interactive technologies are increasingly being used for patient education. Augmented reality (AR) is the technology of superimposing digital content on the reality that the user observes. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a brand new, commercial prototype of a 360° AR visualization platform (360 ARVP) to enhance patient education for neurosurgical patients. METHODS: This pilot study was a single-center, single-provider study that took place in the clinic setting of the senior author. Patients were given the opportunity to use the 360 ARVP (Surgical Theater) concurrently with the neurosurgeon. All patients completed a survey on their experience with the 360 ARVP immediately after use. RESULTS: A total of 24 patients participated in the study. All patients (19 [79.2%] strongly agreed and 5 [20.8%] agreed) reported that using the 360 ARVP system helped improve understanding of their medical condition. The total percentage of patients who either agreed or strongly agreed that experiencing the 360 ARVP helped improve their comfort levels and that they felt included in decisions about their treatment was 95.8%. When asked to rate their level of understanding of their treatment plans on a 0 to 10 scale, the difference in means for the patients' ratings before and after the use of 360 ARVP was statistically significant (P < .0017) CONCLUSION: This pilot study demonstrates that AR can be used as an adjunctive tool for patient education. Patients found that the 360 ARVP increased their understanding of their medical conditions and improved their comfort level with the proposed treatments.


The aim of this study was to assess the economic and environmental advantages of implementing reverse logistics to recycle solid waste from construction companies. The adopted research method was based on a systematic literature review and two case studies. For the economic assessment, the return on investment, the internal rate of return, and the discounted payback factors were considered, while the material intensity factor was used for the environmental impact assessment. This study shows that there are economic and environmental advantages associated with the use of reverse logistics for solid waste treatment and recycling. In 2016, the purchase of recycled blocks resulted in a profit of over US$45,000 for one company, and another company earned almost US$250,000 in the same year by recycling solid waste from manufacturing blocks and selling iron, wood, paper, and plastics. Furthermore, the environmental impact was reduced. This paper contributes to the dissemination of knowledge regarding the advantages of adopting reverse logistics for recycling construction and demolition waste, and creates new opportunities for companies.


Sentiment analysis (SA) is the automated process of detecting and understanding the emotions conveyed through written text. Over the past decade, SA has gained significant popularity in the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP). With the widespread use of social media and online platforms, SA has become crucial for companies to gather customer feedback and shape their marketing strategies. Additionally, researchers rely on SA to analyze public sentiment on various topics. In this particular research study, a comprehensive survey was conducted to explore the latest trends and techniques in SA. The survey encompassed a wide range of methods, including lexicon-based, graph-based, network-based, machine learning, deep learning, ensemble-based, rule-based, and hybrid techniques. The paper also addresses the challenges and opportunities in SA, such as dealing with sarcasm and irony, analyzing multi-lingual data, and addressing ethical concerns. To provide a practical case study, Twitter was chosen as one of the largest online social media platforms. Furthermore, the researchers shed light on the diverse application areas of SA, including social media, healthcare, marketing, finance, and politics. The paper also presents a comparative and comprehensive analysis of existing trends and techniques, datasets, and evaluation metrics. The ultimate goal is to offer researchers and practitioners a systematic review of SA techniques, identify existing gaps, and suggest possible improvements. This study aims to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of SA processes, leading to smoother and error-free outcomes.


The integration of drones in the construction industry has ushered in a new era of efficiency, accuracy, and safety throughout the various phases of construction projects. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the applications of drones in the construction industry, focusing on their utilization in the design, construction, and maintenance phases. The differences between the three different types of drones are discussed at the beginning of the paper where the overview of the drone applications in construction industry is then described. Overall, the integration of drones in the construction industry has yielded transformative advancements across all phases of construction projects. As technology continues to advance, drones are expected to play an increasingly critical role in shaping the future of the construction industry.


The orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes of electromagnetic (EM) beams are utilized for multiplexing in communication systems, where each OAM mode is encoded with data. The OAM index, or the so-called topological charge, identifies each OAM mode. Recently, the amplitude of OAM mode has also been used as another modulation format. Therefore, accurate extraction of not only the OAM index but also the corresponding amplitude is required. In this paper, a modified dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) algorithm is proposed to analyze the OAM modes. We show that accurate topological charges and high-resolution amplitude patterns of both single OAM mode and composite OAM modes can be obtained. This work offers an effective approach for demultiplexing OAM-carrying beams, especially when the high-resolution amplitude information is needed.


Methylene blue (5 mg/kg) is routinely given at our institution during parathyroidectomy. The dye stains the parathyroid glands and helps in better surgical visualisation. The technique is generally considered to be safe except for causing pseudo-cyanosis. We report a case of a patient who had confusion, agitation and altered mental status during the early postoperative course probably secondary to methylene blue infusion.


Most of segmental prestressed concrete box girders exhibit excessive multidecade deflections unforeseeable by past and current design codes. To investigate such a behavior, mainly caused by creep and shrinkage phenomena, an effective finite element (FE) formulation is presented in this article. This formulation is developed by invoking the stationarity of an energetic principle for linear viscoelastic problems and relies on the Bazant creep constitutive law. A case study representative of segmental prestressed concrete box girders susceptible to creep is also analyzed in the article, that is, the Colle Isarco viaduct. Its FE model, based on the aforementioned energetic formulation, was successfully validated through the comparison with monitoring field data. As a result, the proposed 1D FE model can effectively reproduce the past behavior of the viaduct and predict its future behavior with a reasonable run time, which represents a decisive factor for the model implementation in a decision support system.


While pursuing better utility by discovering knowledge from the data, individual's privacy may be compromised during an analysis. To that end, differential privacy has been widely recognized as the state-of-the-art privacy notion. By requiring the presence of any individual's data in the input to only marginally affect the distribution over the output, differential privacy provides strong protection against adversaries in possession of arbitrary background. However, the privacy constraints (e.g., the degree of randomization) imposed by differential privacy may render the released data less useful for analysis, the fundamental trade-off between privacy and utility (i.e., analysis accuracy) has attracted significant attention in various settings. In this report we present DP mechanisms with randomized parameters, i.e., randomized privacy budget, and formally analyze its privacy and utility and demonstrate that randomizing privacy budget in DP mechanisms will boost the accuracy in a humongous scale.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
To determine the associations between deployment in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and sleep quantity and quality.

DESIGN
Longitudinal cohort study

SETTING
The Millennium Cohort Study survey is administered via a secure website or US mail.

PARTICIPANTS
Data were from 41,225 Millennium Cohort members who completed baseline (2001-2003) and follow-up (2004-2006) surveys. Participants were placed into 1 of 3 exposure groups based on their deployment status at follow-up: nondeployed, survey completed during deployment, or survey completed postdeployment.

INTERVENTIONS
N/A.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS
Study outcomes were self-reported sleep duration and trouble sleeping, defined as having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Adjusted mean sleep duration was significantly shorter among those in the deployed and postdeployment groups compared with those who did not deploy. Additionally, male gender and greater stress were significantly associated with shorter sleep duration. Personnel who completed their survey during deployment or postdeployment were significantly more likely to have trouble sleeping than those who had not deployed. Lower self-reported general health, female gender, and reporting of mental health symptoms at baseline were also significantly associated with increased odds of trouble sleeping.

CONCLUSIONS
Deployment significantly influenced sleep quality and quantity in this population though effect size was mediated with statistical modeling that included mental health symptoms. Personnel reporting combat exposures or mental health symptoms had increased odds of trouble sleeping. These findings merit further research to increase understanding of temporal relationships between sleep and mental health outcomes occurring during and after deployment.


The existence of the λ Boo type as a class of chemically-peculiar stars in its own right has taxed numerous researchers, and has challenged spectroscopists to produce a model which is plausible, comprehensive and predictive. Stars which are recognized as members of the λ Boo class have late-B to early-F spectral types, and exhibit (often substantially) low abundances of Fe-peak elements although elements such as C, N, O and S may have more nearly solar abundances. Since less than 2% of objects within the relevant spectral-type domain appear to be λ Boo stars their existence has demanded rather special conditions, and has triggered opinion that this group may not in fact exist but that each case can be explained as an unrecognized binary. In this paper we examine those claims by monitoring 10 stars, listed in the literature as possible λ Boo stars but said to be "likely candidates" for composite-spectrum binaries, by employing high-dispersion spectroscopy in an intermittent observing programme designed to reveal the sort of line-profile changes that should be detectable if each object were really a pair of similar stars in an SB2 system. We also monitor two other stars: HR 7903, said to be a binary (but is more like an Ap star), and λ Boo itself. The sample includes 1 possible, 1 marginal and 4 definite λ Boo classifications. In addition, we derive the physical properties of the 12 stars by photometric and spectroscopic synthesis, and measure their radial velocities. Three of the sample show small line-profile variations, but not of the sort that can be attributed to the presence of a companion star; they are the suspected Ap star HR 7903, HR 6878 (which exhibits spectrum peculiarities very similar to those of HR 7903 but has not previously been classified as Bp or Ap), and λ Aql, whose rapid spectrum variations resemble those observed in spotted or CP stars. None of the stars shows any evidence to suggest that it could be a composite-spectrum binary.


The same corn hybrid (Zea mays L.) was grown during the last 3 years that Blount silt loam plots were irrigated with liquid, municipal sewage sludge and for the next succeeding 4 years after termination of applications. During the last year in which sludge was applied, leaves from maximum sludge-treated plots contained 112 mg Zn/kg and 7.1 mg Cd/kg. Four years after sludge applications were terminated, leaves from these plots contained 45 mg Zn/kg and 2.1 mg Cd/kg. Grain-Zn cancetrations decreased from 45 mg zn/kg during the last year of sludge applications to 27 mg/kg in the 4th year after termination of applications. In a similar manner, grain-Cd concentrations decreased from 0.44 to 0.07 mg/kg. During the 3rd and 4th years after terminating sludge applications, grain from sludge-treated and control plots could not be distinguished by differences in Zn and Cd concentrations. Soil pH was near neutral throughout the study and was not affected by treatments. Except for the decrease during the first year after which sludge applications were terminated, total N and organic C concentrations in previously sludge-amended soil remained fairly constant at levels markedly higher than in control plots. The cation exchange capacity of the soil was increasedmore » in proportion to the amount of organic-C remaining in the soil after termination of sludge applications.« less


Tissue engineered skins have the potential to overcome the limitations of present large area of skin replacements. To achieve this, we investigated the effect and fate of tissue engineered skins comprising human epidermal stem cells and acellular amniotic membrane after their transplantation to full-thickness skin defect wound, so as to lay a foundation for clinic application. The human epidermal stem cells was isolated from the skin samples by trypsin digesting method and purified by collagen adhering method, and then seeded on the acellular amniotic membrane and cultured in the keratinocyte serum free medium in present of the epidermal growth factor to form the tissue engineered skin. Eighteen New Zealand white rabbit with full thickness skin defect on the back were grafted with the tissue engineered skin (experimental grafted group), single acellular amniotic membrane(control group 1) and no treated (control group 2),respectively. The wound healing conditions were observed and wound contraction rate were calculated. Histological changes were undertaken by tissue sampling from the grafted wound. The expression of CK19 and HLA-DR were detected by the immunohistochemistry methods. The results showed that the grafted wounds in experimental group healed very well with good external appearance and elasticity. The wound contraction rate in experimental grafted group, control group 1 and control group 2 was 22.6 plusmn 1.54%, 29.3 plusmn 1.41 % and 30.4 plusmn 1.58 %, respectively. There were significantly different between experimental grafted groups and control group(P<0.05). No obvious immune rejection and any bleeding, suppuration or infection under all the grafted skins. There were full differentiation of epithelium and orderly collagen proliferation in experimental grafted wounds by histological examination. The expression of CK19 and HLA-DR were positive in the experimental grafted wounds, which were negative in the control group. This study suggest that the skin grafting with tissue engineered skins comprising human epidermal stem cells and acellular amniotic membrane could improve wound healing quality prominently, which maybe an ideal skin substitute with good histocompatibility.


In distributed matrix multiplication, a common scenario is to assign each worker a fraction of the multiplication task, by partitioning the input matrices into smaller submatrices. In particular, by dividing two input matrices into m-by-p and p-by-n subblocks, a single multiplication task can be viewed as computing linear combinations of pmn submatrix products, which can be assigned to pmn workers. Such block-partitioning based designs have been widely studied under the topics of secure, private, and batch computation, where the state of the arts all require computing at least "cubic" (pmn) number of submatrix multiplications. Entangled polynomial codes, first presented for straggler mitigation, provides a powerful method for breaking the cubic barrier. It achieves a subcubic recovery threshold, meaning that the final product can be recovered from any subset of multiplication results with a size order-wise smaller than pmn. In this work, we show that entangled polynomial codes can be further extended to also include these three important settings, and provide a unified framework that order-wise reduces the total computational costs upon the state of the arts by achieving subcubic recovery thresholds.


Gnomic poetry plays a fundamental part of the so-called Old English Wisdom Literature. The Anglo-Saxons showed a strong tendency to inspect, wonder about, and ponder on the primary aspects of human thought, life and essence. This frame of mind is characterised by sequences of concise, tightly-structured proverbial utterances. Such briefness endows gnomic poetry with a sharp, authoritative force. The Anglo-Saxon scop turns to a gnome, maxim, proverb, laconic, sententious saying to compose alliterative verses on native folklore and traditional patterns of thinking. In Old English literature, gnomic poetry inextricably blends pious Christian elements with ancient themes of a heathen far-flung Germanic tradition. Gnomic verses not only deal with folklore, they also stand as a powerful and elaborate literary device to affirm a moral, or even to portray virtues or vices. Such a literary sensibility stands in the middle between a Christian religious tradition which traces its roots back to Old Testament proverbs and the typical Germanic wisdom-competition poems such as Old Norse Vǫluspa, Vafþruðnismal, Heiðreks Saga and so forth. Yet, the Anglo-Saxon scop used the gnomic verse as a reliable fund of ethical dictum on which he would generally call to celebrate, in a poem, an episode worthy of celebration or to restate an accepted truth. There are extant heterogeneous 'compilations' of gnomic verse to which scholars normally refer as Maxims I and II. Furthermore, there are some other examples to be found in other poems, such as in The Wanderer or in Beowulf. The Exeter Book and BL MS. Cotton Tiberius B.i contain the utmost examples of gnomic passages. The vivid content of the Maxims caused a variety of opinions relating to both the significance of the style of these poems and the provenance of its content based on large number of literary sources. The purpose of this Doctoral dissertation is to carry out a scrutiny of the Old English gnomic tradition, focusing on Maxims I and II, supply an edition of the texts, write a variorum commentary and an analytic glossary. At the same time, this work aims to take into consecration the reason such a theme dendritically sprouts and suddenly reaches new heights in some crucial parts of Old English literature.


People sometimes flout the maxims of Cooperative Principle in speaking because they imply something in their utterance. To get the implied meaning of the speaker, the theory of cooperative principles and context are used to analyze the utterance. This article is aimed to analyze the types of maxim being flouted and the factors that influence the use of flouted maxim in a movie. The source of the data used in this research are taken from a movie subtitle entitled The Age of Adaline (2015) directed by Lee Toland Krieger. This is a qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative method is applied to analyze the data whereas the quantitative is used to count the number of each flouted maxim. The results of this research show that there are four types of flouted maxim used by the main character in The Age of Adaline movie, they are: flouted maxim of relation, flouted maxim of quantity, flouted maxim of manner, flouted maxim of quality. The writer also found the factors influenced the characters to flout the maxim. The main character flouts the Maxim of Manner because she wants to end the conversation. Another flouted maxim is Maxim of Quantity. The reason is Adaline wants to give more information to the hearer about something. The reason of Adaline flouts the maxim of Relation is because she wants to hide something. The reasons why the character flouts the Maxim of Quality is to tease the hearer. Additionally, Adaline as the main character in The Age of Adaline movie also flout two maxims in an utterance. The reason is that she wants to emphasize her intentions.


The problem of this study is the low mastery of computer-based learning media or information technology for Madrasah Ibtidaiyah teachers. The low mastery capacity of learning media directly influences the low competency in conducting educational education. Current curriculum demands teachers are required to master the use of technology in classroom learning. The purpose of this study was to determine the mastery of learning media materials and competencies in conducting educational learning. This research is a field research quantitative descriptive approach. The subjects in this study were Information and Communication Technology-Based Learning Media Training Participants for Teachers of Islamic Education in Kuningan District, West Java Province. Data collection techniques were carried out using questionnaires, observation, interviews and documentation studies. The results showed that mastery of learning media material had an average value of 85.86 which was categorized as good. While mastery of competency in organizing learning that educates has an average value of 80.5 which means it has a good category.


Transitions in the decay of 168Tm to 168Er have been studied by measurements of electron-gamma directional correlations. The M1-contributions of the 632-, 731- and 816-keV transitions between the gamma-vibrational band and the ground state rotational band have been determined to amount to less than 0.8%. The 99-, 198- and 830-keV transitions depopulating the 1094-keV state have been determined to be of predominantly E1-character. A pure E1-multipolarity for the 99-keV transition is however possible only if a penetration effect is present in the internal conversion process characterized by a nuclear current parameter η = 303-8+7 or η = -12.2-2.0+2.0


Fast developments aiming tourism on the coasts in the previous century have brought together some important problems such as nature's destruction, and unique natural sources are vanishing. As a result of these developments, some principles have been determined in order to compose designs sensitive to nature in the tourism-aiming foundations such as hotel, resort hotel and holiday village founded on the coasts. In the research, firstly, Ulusoy holiday village has been examined in the light of holiday village planning principles and suggestions for the solutions of some mistakes present in the design have been made. Secondly, it has been aimed that principles necessary to be taken into consideration in a holiday village planning, in which traditional culture is reflected, should be determined. As a result, it has been determined that the design of this holiday village as one reflecting traditional culture is successful. However, its recreation activities are insufficient according to public survey results and to planning and design principles of holiday villages. In order to make up for this deficiency, suggestions to the present places have been brought.

 Key words: Planning principles of holiday village, Ulusoy holiday village, Kemer, Antalya, Turkey.


How did Heinz Kohut's experiences as an exile from the place of his birth and a "refugee" of trauma affect the development of self psychology? In this paper, the authors link the experience of homelessness, which has been termed "the pervasive malady of our time," and trauma. They conjecture that Kohut's life experiences helped him to plumb the depths of the "fractured, enfeebled, discontinuous" aspects of human experience and allowed him to appreciate the centrality of longings for empathic connectedness. In a healing analytic relationship, they contend, patient and analyst develop a shared language—partly verbal, partly nonverbal—by means of which excruciating experiences of sameness and difference become bearable. A clinical example illustrates that the terms exile and homesickness may be both apt metaphors for trauma and actual experiences.


How can local governments in the absence of nationa l regulations or incentive schemes motivate private owners of post-war mass-housing fo r investments into ambitious retrofitting for energy efficiency? The million-program houses' lifecycle currently makes renovations necessary and this would be an excellent opportunit y to realize an upgrading of their energyefficiency status. Private owners do however show n inclination to do so. An intertwined array of barriers towards energy-efficient renovati on is explored in this study, while it seeks to find out which new drivers are needed to overcome t hese barriers and create an intrinsic motivation for the owners to undertake the anticipa ted investments. In an exploratory case study, these points are investigated in the context of the exemplifying case of the Bygga om Dialogen project in Malmö, Sweden. Bygga om Dialogen , is reframing the situation of investments into en ergy-efficiency in a broader socio-economic context and thrives to creat e new drivers pushing the owners to undertake the investments via the tools of strategi c niche management and reflexive governance. This study explores how a strategic nic he management and reflexive governance can be used to motivate a variety of stakeholders t o scrutinize and reconsider their assumptions of the renovation-business-case and how this can stimulate the owners to actively contribute to the establishment of a new, innovativ e, cross-sectoral approach seeking to realize energy-efficient investments in the context of holistic sustainable development in the neighborhood of Lindängen. Additionally it is explo red how strategic niche management can be used to deal with the contextual, strategic and institutional uncertainties that the established network is facing. Ideally the vision of mutually r ealizing energy-efficient renovations as part of an inclusive socio-economic upgrading of the nei ghborhood, could act as a building block and exemplifying case for similar neighborhoods nat ionwideor even all over Europe.


Neonatal transport services in the United Kingdom have developed over the past 25 years largely in response to local needs, and because of the efforts of individual enthusiasts. The result has been a disparate service often, but not exclusively, provided by larger neonatal units, and usually, without specific funding. Many other countries have taken a different approach, relying on dedicated transport services to carry out all transfers. However, the geography of the United Kingdom, with relatively short distances between hospitals, meant that it was feasible, on the whole, for individual units to offer this service without too much disruption to their daily work.2 In only a minority of areas (such as the Northern Region of England and the West coast of Scotland) has a more structured service emerged with a small number of hospitals taking on responsibility for all neonatal transfers.

Studies which have examined these different approaches have proved hard to interpret.2-5 Providing matched control groups or carrying out randomised controlled trials in this type of intervention is, of course, extremely difficult and ultimately outcome also depends, to a large extent, on the centre receiving the baby.6 7

The limited market for neonatal transport equipment has resulted in a restricted choice of specialist items and a long lead time for manufacturer modifications. Many tertiary …


The influence of electron correlations on the temperature dependence of ultraviolet photoemission and bremsstrahlung isochromat spectra of ferromagnetic Ni is investigated. The calculations are performed within the framework of the one-step model of photoemission using an expression for the energy-, spin- and temperature-dependent self-energy of the hole state, which rests on a combination of the results of density functional theory and those of a generalized Hubbard model. The model contains only two parameters, the Hubbard U and the interband exchange J. It is approximately solved by use of a selfconsistent moment method and has so far resulted in an excellent description of macroscopic magnetic properties, like the magnetic moment at T = 0, the Curie temperature, a Brillouin-like magnetization curve and a strict Curie-Weiss behaviour of the paramagnetic susceptibility. In this contribution we demonstrate the virtues of this theory for quasiparticle properties in Ni by calculating spin-polarized and temperature-dependent photoemission spectra and comparing with experimental results available in literature. The theoretical photoemission results for the occupied d-bands are shown to be in excellent agreement with the experiment. Since the ferromagnetism and the many body effects in Ni are mainly caused by the uppermost d-band, which is only partly occupied, we also calculate the spin-polarized inverse photoemission spectra for this subband and compare with the most recent experimental results obtained in bresstrahlung isochromat spectroscopy.


I examine a production economy with a financial sector that contains multiple layers of credit. Such layers are designed to constitute credit chains which are inclusive of a simple mortgage market. The focus is on the nature and contagion properties of credit chains in an economy where the financial sector plays a real allocative role and agents have a nontrivial choice of whether to default on mortgages or not. Multiple equilibria with different rates of default are observed, due to the presence of strategic complementarities. Default can trigger a financial crisis as well as constrain the purchases of factors of production, thus leading to potentially serious effects on real activity.


Hypothenemus curtipennis (Schedl) is the first true ambrosia beetle known in the scolytid tribe Cryphalini. The male of the nominate subspecies is described from Fiji. Cryphalomorphus samoanus Browne is transferred to Hypothenemus, and considered a subspecies of H. curtipennis confined to Samoa. The life cycle, host trees, gallery system and causes of mortality of H. c. curtipennis are described. The species shows inbreeding polygyny.


Colloidal spheres synthesized from polymer gels swell by absorbing molecules from solution. The resulting change in size can be monitored with nanometer precision using holographic video microscopy. When the absorbate is chemically similar to the polymer matrix, swelling is driven primarily by the entropy of mixing, and is limited by the surface tension of the swelling sphere and by the elastic energy of the polymer matrix. We demonstrate through a combination of optical micromanipulation and holographic particle characterization that the degree of swelling of a single polymer bead can be used to measure the monomer concentration in situ with spatial resolution comparable to the size of the sphere.


An overview of the Implementation Status of the Omega Navigation System with information on station construction programs and scheduled milestones is presented. The general descriptions of the stations and their new electronic equipments are discussed. Information is also provided on the program for Omega charts and navigational publications required to support the system expansion. Highlights of the concept of international participation and system management are included in this presentation.


Abstract Israeli society is currently under threat from a nuclear attack from Iran. Based on Jewish history, this threat is likely to be associated with similar threats, such as the Holocaust. The purpose of this study was to examine the reactions of Holocaust survivors to the nuclear Iranian threat and assess if and to what extent they differ from non-Holocaust survivors. A convenience sample of 60 Israeli senior citizens was recruited for this comparative study. Participants completed self-report questionnaires using the Traumatic Events Questionnaire, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and an Israeli-adapted Threat and National Security Survey. Projective drawings and narratives were used to evaluate the associations between symbols of the Holocaust that appeared in drawings and the themes that emerged in the narratives of the study group. The findings revealed that there was no difference between the groups in levels of anxiety and threat perception, but qualitative analyses revealed that the groups understood the threat differently. Holocaust survivors indicated a shared sense of group identity regarding the emotional and environmental impact of a nuclear attack. Findings may indicate that the qualitative tools offered additional insight regarding the perceptions and unique understanding of the threat by the Israeli elderly population. Suggestions for further research are offered.


The MDR1 gene product P‐glycoprotein (Pgp) plays a key role in multidrug resistance of cancer cells. Pgp is an ATP‐driven efflux pump that extrudes a variety of dissimilar hydrophobic cytotoxic compounds. P‐glycoprotein overexpression results in multidrug resistance (MDR) of tumor cell lines in vitro as well as in cancer patients. To selectively target and eliminate MDR tumor cells, we have isolated a monoclonal antibody that specifically reacts with the first extracellular loop of the human Pgp. We have cloned the variable domain genes of this antibody and assembled a functional single‐chain Fv fragment capable of specifically targeting various Pgp‐expressing MDR carcinoma cells lines. Targeting and specific elimination of Pgp‐dependent MDR human cancer cells was achieved by constructing a single‐chain immunotoxin in which the scFv fragment was fused to a truncated form of Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE38). We conclude that recombinant Fv‐immunotoxins or other Fv‐based molecules armed with potent cytotoxins represent an effective tool in targeted cancer therapy aimed at specific elimination of MDR tumor cell sub‐populations. Recombinant antibody fragments targeting MDR proteins such as Pgp may be also used for intracellular expression and consequent phenotypic knockout of MDR. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The overall goals of this research project are to determine the mechanism of microbial dissolution and stabilization of actinides in Department of Energy's (DOE) TRU wastes, contaminated sludges, soils, and sediments. This includes (1) investigations on the fundamental aspects of microbially catalyzed radionuclide and metal transformations (oxidation/reduction reactions, dissolution, precipitation, chelation); (2) understanding of the microbiological processes that control speciation and alter the chemical forms of complex inorganic/organic contaminant mixtures; and (3) development of new and improved microbially catalyzed processes resulting in immobilization of metals and radionuclides in the waste with concomitant waste volume reduction.


Contemporary theories of defects and impurities in semiconductors rely to a large extent on supercell calculations within density-functional theory using the approximate local-density approximation (LDA) or generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functionals. Such calculations are, however, affected by considerable uncertainties associated with: (i) the ``band-gap problem,'' which occurs not only in the Kohn-Sham single-particle energies but also in the quasiparticle gap (LDA or GGA) calculated from total-energy differences, and (ii) supercell finite-size effects. In the case of the oxygen vacancy in ZnO, uncertainties (i) and (ii) have led to a large spread in the theoretical predictions, with some calculations suggesting negligible vacancy concentrations, even under Zn-rich conditions, and others predicting high concentrations. Here, we critically assess (i) the different methodologies to correct the band-gap problem. We discuss approaches based on the extrapolation of perturbations which open the band gap, and the self-consistent band-gap correction employing the $\text{LDA}+U$ method for $d$ and $s$ states simultaneously. From the comparison of the results of different gap-correction, including also recent results from other literature, we conclude that to date there is no universal scheme for band gap correction in general defect systems. Therefore, we turn instead to classification of different types of defect behavior to provide guidelines on how the physically correct situation in an LDA defect calculation can be recovered. (ii) Supercell finite-size effects: We performed test calculations in large supercells of up to 1728 atoms, resolving a long-standing debate pertaining to image charge corrections for charged defects. We show that once finite-size effects not related to electrostatic interactions are eliminated, the analytic form of the image charge correction as proposed by Makov and Payne leads to size-independent defect formation energies, thus allowing the calculation of well-converged energies in fairly small supercells. We find that the delocalized contribution to the defect charge (i.e., the defect-induced change of the charge distribution) is dominated by the dielectric screening response of the host, which leads to an unexpected effective $1/L$ scaling of the image charge energy, despite the nominal $1/{L}^{3}$ scaling of the third-order term. Based on this analysis, we suggest that a simple scaling of the first order term by a constant factor (approximately 2/3) yields a simple but accurate image-charge correction for common supercell geometries. Finally, we discuss the theoretical controversy pertaining to the formation energy of the O vacancy in ZnO in light of the assessment of different methodologies in the present work, and we review the present experimental situation on the topic.


3 alpha-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (3 alpha-HSDs) catalyze the conversion of 3-ketosteroids to 3 alpha-hydroxy compounds. The best known 3 alpha-HSD activity is the transformation of the most potent natural androgen, dihydrotestosterone, into 5 alpha-androstan-3 alpha,17 beta-diol (3 alpha-diol), a compound having much lower activity. Previous reports show that 3 alpha-HSDs are involved in the metabolism of glucocorticoids, progestins, prostaglandins, bile acid precursors, and xenobiotics. 3 alpha-HSDs could, thus, play a crucial role in the control of a series of active steroid levels in target tissues. In the human, type 1 3 alpha-HSD was first identified as human chlordecone reductase. Recently, we have isolated and characterized type 3 3 alpha-HSD that shares 81.7% identity with human type 1 3 alpha-HSD. The transfection of vectors expressing types 1 and 3 3 alpha-HSD in transformed human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells indicates that both enzymes efficiently catalyze the transformation of dihydrotestosterone into 3 alpha-diol in intact cells. However, when the cells are broken, the activity of type 3 3 alpha-HSD is rapidly lost, whereas the type 1 3 alpha-HSD activity remains stable. We have previously found that human type 5 17 beta-HSD which possesses 84% and 86% identity with types 1 and 3 3 alpha-HSD, respectively, is also labile, whereas rodent enzymes such as mouse type 5 17 beta-HSD and rat 3 alpha-HSD are stable after homogenization of the cells. The variable stability of different enzymatic activities in broken cell preparations renders the comparison of different enzymes difficult. RNA expression analysis indicates that human type 1 3 alpha-HSD is expressed exclusively in the liver, whereas type 3 is more widely expressed and is found in the liver, adrenal, testis, brain, prostate, and HaCaT keratinocytes. Based on enzymatic characteristics and sequence homology, it is suggested that type 1 3 alpha-HSD is an ortholog of rat 3 alpha-HSD while type 3 3 alpha-HSD, which must have diverged recently, seems unique to human and is probably more involved in intracrine activity.


Author(s): Lee, Tae Je | Advisor(s): Lang, Thomas F | Abstract: IntroductionTrabecular bone score (TBS) was proposed as a method to indirectly assess the vertebral microarchitecture from Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) images, which are have a projectional geometry that does not reflect 3D structure. In this study, we evaluated the extent to which TBS is affected by the variable angulation of the vertebra in the body and the presence of aortic calcifications that overly the vertebra.MethodsAll programming was done on Matlab. The CT data was provided by Dr Sundeep Khosla's group at the Mayo Clinic from their study of age-related bone loss and fracture. Partial vertebral masks, calibration data, and coordinate transforms, were provided by Professor Engelke's group. Calcified aorta was removed from each slice manually. We computed the TBS of a pure trabecular bone region in a standardized ("bone fixed") vertebral coordinate system as a gold standard. This was compared via linear regression to the TBS of the entire vertebra in the bone fixed coordinate system and then to the entire vertebra in the native scanner coordinate system. Both comparisons were done with and without the aortic calcium removed.ResultsThere was a modest but significant correlation observed between the TBS of pure trabecular bone region and the TBS of the image set in bone-fixed coordinate with the calcified aorta removed. The correlation degraded slightly when calcified aorta was added back in, and degraded heavily when the images were rotated back to their original scanner coordinates. There was a correlation observed between rotation angle and the TBSs between the original and rotated image sets.ConclusionThere was a significant reduction of correlation between TBS of pure trabecular bone region and the TBS calculated from native images in the scanner coordinate system with aortic calcification. As the angle of rotation increased, greater deviation was noticed between the TBS of the original and the rotated image. We conclude that the poor correlation between the pure trabecular bone and the native TBS raises significant questions about the clinical utility of this technique.


Taguchi and Roever present the latest developments in second language pragmatics research, combining acquisitional and sociolinguistic perspectives. They cover theories of pragmatics learning and research methods in investigating pragmatics, linking these with findings on the acquisition of second language pragmatics and with practice in teaching and assessing pragmatics. Discussing pragmatics in the context of multilingual societies and diverse contexts of use, they offer a broad perspective on this growing area.


There are many problems associated with injection drug use, problems that affect both the users themselves as well as those close to them and the society in which they live. Whether through complications associated with drug use (multiple infections, mental health problems, etc) or through the consequences on those close to them and on society (family dysfunction, crime, etc), the costs of illegal drug use are considerably greater than the costs of treating drug users.


The issue of cultural competency in health care continues to be a priority in Australia for health and human services professionals. Cultural competence in caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is of increasing interest, and is a priority in closing the gap in health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Through a collaborative conversation, the authors draw on a case study, personal experience and the literature to highlight some of the issues associated with employing culturally appropriate, culturally safe and culturally competent approaches when caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The intent of this article is to encourage discussion on the topic of cultural competency, and to challenge health professionals and academics to think and act on racism, colonialism, historical circumstances and the political, social, economic, and geographical realms in which we live and work, and which all impact on cultural competency.


Background: Pneumonia is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children under five years of age worldwide. The burden of childhood pneumonia occurs predominantly in low or middle income countries. Despite recent advances in management and preventative strategies, high rates of treatment failure and case fatality continue to occur in children in such countries. Aim: To review the current evidence on the epidemiology and management of childhood pneumonia in low and middle income countries Methods: Direct search of Medline database from 1995 to date through Pubmed was conducted. Search terms included: (pneumonia OR lower respiratory tract infections OR lower respiratory infections OR ARI) AND child. Search was restricted to English articles. In addition reference lists of selected studies were reviewed for relevant information. Findings: Major findings accounting for the high burden include delayed health seeking, poor access to health care, poorly resourced health care systems, inadequate immunisation programs and lack of availability of oxygen delivery systems. The burden of pneumonia deaths has also been increased by the paediatric HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Effective preventive interventions include exclusive breastfeeding, optimizing nutrition, reduction of indoor air pollution and immunisations. Wider availability of new immunisations particularly pneumococcal conjugate vaccine can substantially reduce pneumonia incidence. Prophylactic trimethoprim- sulphamethoxazole and antiretroviral therapy are important strategies to prevent pneumonia in HIV infected children, and wider implementation of these is still needed. The most effective treatment strategy remains case management guidelines as contained in the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness program. Case management efficacy is dependent on timely access to health facilities, on health worker ability to recognise and treat pneumonia or severe pneumonia and on availability of appropriate antibiotics and functioning referral pathways. In areas of high HIV prevalence, guidelines must be adapted to broaden antimicrobial coverage including treatment for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. Monitoring of hypoxia with pulse oximetry and appropriate oxygen delivery systems are still not widely available and should be prioritized in pneumonia management programs. Conclusions: Improved access to preventive and management strategies is urgently needed to reduce the burden of childhood pneumonia in resource limited settings. Further research on childhood pneumonia is needed to delineate the burden of specific pathogens, to develop better diagnostic tests and to improve current management and preventive strategies.


A novel variable structure control (VSC) strategy with a dynamic disturbance compensator based on the reaching law for a class of uncertain discrete systems is presented. The robust stability to disturbance and the system dynamics in the vicinity of the switching plane are studied. A measure of the uncertain parameters and external disturbance is obtained through delaying every sampling time. Theoretical analysis and experimental simulation results demonstrate that the dynamic performance and robustness of the closed-loop system are improved effectively.


It is an important task to prepare for unprecedented natural disasters. When natural disasters occur, indoor and outdoor situations greatly change. Therefore, it is difficult to provide evacuation guidance during sudden and unpredictable disasters. We propose an agent-based evacuation guidance support system, which autonomously determines the evacuation guidance plan based on the situation assessed by cooperating IoT devices, in order to support quick evacuation guidance. We describe an evacuation guidance support system based on agent-based IoT (AIoT), which consists of situation recognition and evacuation route planning. We performed some experiments to confirm the effectiveness of our proposal.


We report the synthesis of nano-scaled alumina of varied dimensions through a novel optimized processing of aluminum nitrate. The X-ray diffractometry confirmed the formation of - and γ- phases of alumina particles in the nano region, depending on the annealing conditions during processing. Subsequently, a detailed microscopic investigation revealed the morphological alterations and crystallographic information even at lattice scale. The presence of different bonds and band energies were investigated by employing infra-red and photoluminescence spectrometry, respectively. The evolution of fascinating microstructure, phase formations and optical bands has been presented and discussed to elucidate the systematic evolution of different crystalline phases (α and γ) from an amorphous alumina with increased annealing temperature. Copyright © 2011 VBRI press.


Motivation Spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) enables scientists to investigate spatial context of mRNA abundance, including identifying spatially variable genes (SVGs), i.e., genes whose expression varies across the tissue. Although several methods have been proposed for this task, native SVG tools cannot jointly model biological replicates, or identify the key areas of the tissue affected by spatial variability. Results Here, we introduce DESpace, a framework, based on an original application of existing methods, to discover SVGs. In particular, our approach inputs all types of SRT data, summarizes spatial information via spatial clusters, and identifies spatially variable genes by performing differential gene expression testing between clusters. Furthermore, our framework can identify (and test) the main cluster of the tissue affected by spatial variability; this allows scientists to investigate spatial expression changes in specific areas of interest. Additionally, DESpace enables joint modelling of multiple samples (i.e., biological replicates); compared to inference based on individual samples, this approach increases statistical power, and targets SVGs with consistent spatial patterns across replicates. Overall, in our benchmarks, DESpace displays good true positive rates, controls for false positive and false discovery rates, and is computationally efficient. Availability and implementation DESpace is freely distributed as a Bioconductor R package.


Background

Evaluating chronic inflammation in colorectal cancer (CRC) may aid in identifying patients at the highest risk of recurrence or progression, and help inform clinical treatment decisions. Here, we report the effect of fibrinogen to pre-albumin ratio (FPR) in determining response to chemotherapy and reveal outcomes in CRC patients.
Methods

A total of 2917 eligible CRC patients from multiple-centers were enrolled, and the outcome of these patients was obtained by three years' follow-up. Circulating fibrinogen, albumin, pre-albumin, CEA, CA199 and FPR were detected and calculated in these patients. Kaplan-Meier curves, Cox regression, time-dependent ROC, Harrell's concordance index, calibration and decision curves were used to investigate the role of FPR in clinical outcome of CRC patients.
Results

Our results reveal significantly inferior outcomes in right- than left-sided patients with advanced CRC (stage III and IV), with preoperative FPR found to be a robust and independent prognostic factor for CRC at each stage. Moreover, prognostic nomograms, including FPR, effectively predicted clinical outcomes of the patients. Furthermore, preoperative FPR was significantly associated with chemotherapy efficacy. Specifically, low-grade (FPR < 15) and medium-grade (15 ≤ FPR < 20) FPR patients exhibited complete response to chemotherapy and attenuated chemosensitivity, respectively, whereas high-grade inflammation (FPR ≥ 20) conferred resistance to the treatment.
Conclusion

CRC-related inflammation affects response to chemotherapy and the resultant clinical outcomes. Circulating FPR is a simple, economically-friendly and robust independent prognostic factor for effectively predicting outcomes of CRC patients. Targeting chronic inflammation and its corresponding signaling pathway, coupled with measuring FPR, presents a novel approach for clinical management of CRC.


Interactive Whiteboards and Classroom Response Systems (CRS) are utilizing for improvement the lectures. Study goals are the utility of these devices in the university, and to know the teacher's opinions. We used a questionnaire to obtain feedback from teachers, who also has open fields for some questions. The results show a low utilization for both devices, but these could increase participation, interactivity and motivation.


This experiment studied the effect on intelligence test scores of a probable reinforcer given for correct responses. Eleven pairs of 5- to 7-yr-old children were matched on the basis of a strong liking of candy, no physical problems associated with eating it, parent permission to receive and eat the candy, age, sex, and a revised Stanford-Binet Scale Form L IQ score. The control group was given the revised Stanford-Binet Scale Form M, as prescribed in the test manual. The experimental group was also given Form M according to the manual, except M&M candy was given for each plus or correct response. There was an appreciable, statistically significant difference between the resulting IQ test scores of the two groups.


This research aims to test whether the more convergent IFRS in Indonesia can make company's earning more persistence or not, also this research aim to test can the operating income this year can predict the net income in next year more rather than non-operating income.
This research uses quantitative approach with multiple regression analysis. Researcher use companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange within 2012 – 2015 period as the sample. There are 304 companies used in this research.
The results show that the more convergent IFRS in Indonesia can make company's earning more persistence even the coefficient value fluctuates, so the net income in current year can be used to predict the net income in next year. Meanwhile, operating income proved can predict net income in next yearrather than non-operating income even the ability to predict was decreased in 2015.


To enable trust in the IC supply chain, logic locking as an IP protection technique received significant attention in recent years. Over the years, by utilizing Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solver and its derivations, many de-obfuscation attacks have undermined the security of logic locking. Nonetheless, all these attacks receive the inputs (locked circuits) in a very simplified format (Bench or remapped and translated Verilog) with many limitations. This raises the bar for the usage of the existing attacks for modeling and assessing new logic locking techniques, forcing the designers to undergo many troublesome translations and simplifications. This paper introduces the RANE Attack, an open-source CAD-based toolbox for evaluating the security of logic locking mechanisms that implement a unique interface to use formal verification tools without a need for any translation or simplification. The RANE attack not only performs better compared to the existing de-obfuscation attacks, but it can also receive the library-dependent logic-locked circuits with no limitation in written, elaborated, or synthesized standard HDL, such as Verilog. We evaluated the capability/performance of RANE on FOUR case studies, one is the first de-obfuscation attack model on FSM locking solutions (e.g., HARPOON) in which the key is not a static bit-vector but a sequence of input patterns.


This paper examines the research evidence relating sustained use of marijuana to chronic cerebral impairment. Evidence from both American and cross-cultural studies is reviewed, with a particular emphasis on methodological problems in the research. The focus of this paper is on neurological findings while another paper focuses on neuropsychological findings. On the basis of available research, it was concluded that there is no evidence that marijuana produces gross structural cerebral changes and little evidence that it leads to functional impairment, although subtle impairment cannot be ruled out.


Leakage current is of great concern for designs in nanometer technologies. In 90- and 65-nm technologies, subthreshold leakage current dominates total leakage current. For a typical ASIC circuit running at several hundred megahertz frequencies, the subthreshold leakage power can be as high as 60% of total power. An important method for minimizing power in ASIC libraries is reducing leakage current. In this article, a complete automated leakage optimization flow that changes channel lengths and widths with cell delay and active area constraints was discussed. Optimization results show that there is ~30% leakage current reduction with a few percent active area and delay increase. There is increase in dynamic power, but the net total power reduction is significant. A uniform increase of 10% in gate length results in ~35% leakage reduction at the cost of ~12% delay degradation. The total cell area changes are minimal in both cases. The optimization flow begins with SPICE net lists from an existing library, optimizes leakage currents subject to performance metrics and active area increase constraints, and finishes with new layout generation and characterization. Investigations indicate that the leakage optimization has little impact on cell noise margin and layout parasitic modifications do not affect optimization results. The efficient automatic layout-to-layout cell leakage optimization flow is most suitable for leakage minimization and library migration for 90- and 65-nm ASIC libraries. Future work includes applying the flow to situations where layout-dependent DFM and process variation objective functions are also optimized


Abstract: We investigated whether changes in the dopamine transporter in the nucleus accumbens or striatum are involved in cocaine‐induced behavioral sensitization by using in vivo electrochemistry to monitor the clearance of locally applied dopamine in anesthetized rats. Rats were injected with cocaine‐HCI (10 mg/kg i.p.) or saline daily for 7 consecutive days and then withdrawn for 7 days. Pressure ejection of a finite amount of dopamine at 5‐min intervals from a micropipette adjacent to the electrochemical recording electrode produced transient and reproducible dopamine signals. After a challenge injection of cocaine (10 mg/kg i.p.), the signals in the nucleus accumbens of cocaine‐treated animals became prolonged and the clearance rate of the dopamine decreased, indicating significant inhibition of the dopamine transporter. In contrast, simultaneous measurements in the dorsal striatum indicated a transient increase in both the amplitude of the signals and the clearance rate of the dopamine. The signals in both brain regions in the saline‐treated animals given the cocaine challenge were similar to those in untreated animals given an acute injection of cocaine (10 mg/ kg i.p.) or saline. Behaviorally, not all of the cocaine‐ treated animals were sensitized; however, both sensitized and nonsensitized animals displayed similar changes in dopamine clearance rate. Quantitative autoradiography with [3H]mazindol revealed that the affinity of the dopamine transporter for cocaine and the density of binding sites were similar in cocaine‐ and saline‐treated rats. The decrease in dopamine clearance rate observed in the nucleus accumbens of the cocaine‐treated rats after a challenge injection of cocaine is consistent with increased do‐ paminergic transmission, but does not appear to be sufficient in itself for producing behavioral sensitization.


A natural one-year work-life intervention to improve occupational health and reduce absenteeism was designed as a field experiment. The intervention allowed the employees in the health care sector of a municipality to take up to five days of self-administered sick leave with full financial compensation up to four times a year. 165 employees in the intervention group and 100 employees in the control group filled out a questionnaire before and after the intervention. The result showed no evidence of misuse of this sick-leave option and some positive subjective health effects were found among those who used the option. Slight improvements were found in musculoskeletal problems and for cold/influenza. There were no effects on overall absenteeism. The question of the impact of local cultures on interventions to improve occupational health is also discussed.


We discuss prospects of deep inelastic scattering physics capabilities at the future muon collider facility. In addition to mu^+ mu^- collider itself, the facility provides other possibilities. Among the possibilities, we present muon-proton collider and neutrino fixed target programs at the muon collider facility. This mu-p collider program extends kinematic reach and luminosity by an order of magnitude, increasing the possibility of search for new exotic particles. Perhaps most intriguing DIS prospects come from utilizing high intensity neutrino beam resulting from continuous decays of muons in various sections of the muon collider facility. One of the most interesting findings is a precision measurement of electroweak mixing angle, sin^2theta_W, which can be achieved to the precision equivalent to delta M_W ~ 30 MeV.


In this paper we introduce Redberry --- an open source computer algebra system with native support of tensorial expressions. It provides basic computer algebra tools (algebraic manipulations, substitutions, basic simplifications etc.) which are aware of specific features of indexed expressions: contractions of indices, permutational symmetries, multiple index types etc. Redberry supports conventional \LaTeX-style input notation for tensorial expressions. The high energy physics package includes tools for Feynman diagrams calculation: Dirac and SU(N) algebra, Levi-Civita simplifications and tools for one-loop calculations in quantum field theory. In the paper we give detailed overview of Redberry features: from basic manipulations with tensors to real Feynman diagrams calculation, accompanied by many examples. Redberry is written in Java 7 and provides convenient Groovy-based user interface inside the high-level general purpose programming language environment. Redberry is available from this http URL


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the safety of a propofol-ketamine mixture to induce and maintain anesthesia in spontaneously breathing pediatric patents during cardiac catheterization.

DESIGN
Prospective clinical study.

SETTING
Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Anesthesiology, and Pediatric Anesthesiology in a university hospital.

PARTICIPANTS
Forty-five children aged 6 months to 16 years with ASA grade II to III undergoing cardiac catheterization.

INTERVENTIONS
Continuous intravenous infusion of a mixture of propofol (4 mg/mL) and ketamine (2 mg/mL) with spontaneous ventilation. The infusion rate was changed and additional boluses of propofol or/and ketamine were given as needed. Hemodynamic, respiratory, and other variables were recorded during the procedure and recovery.

RESULTS
Mean dose of ketamine was 26 +/- 8.3 microg/kg/min and of propofol, 68.3 +/- 21.7 microg/kg/min. Changes in heart rate and mean arterial pressure of more than 20% from baseline were observed in 4 and 5 patients, respectively. A transient reduction in oxygen saturation because of hypoventilation was observed in 3 patients and responded to oxygen administration and manual assisted ventilation. No other complications were observed.

CONCLUSIONS
The propofol-ketamine mixture is a safe, practical alternative for general anesthesia in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac catheterization.


Gaudichaudianic acid, a prenylated chromene isolated from Piper gaudichaudianum, has been described as a potent trypanocidal compound against the Y-strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. We herein describe its isolation as a racemic mixture followed by enantiomeric resolution using chiral HPLC and determination of the absolute configuration of the enantiomers as (+)-S and (-)-R by means of a combination of electronic and vibrational circular dichroism using density functional theory calculations. Investigation of the EtOAc extract of the roots, stems, and leaves from both adult specimens and seedlings of P. gaudichaudianum revealed that gaudichaudianic acid is biosynthesized as a racemic mixture from the seedling stage onward. Moreover, gaudichaudianic acid was found exclusively in the roots of seedlings, while it is present in all organs of the adult plant. Trypanocidal assays indicated that the (+)-enantiomer was more active than its antipode. Interestingly, mixtures of enantiomers showed a synergistic effect, with the racemic mixture being the most active.


AIM
To detect the expression of B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) antigen in synovial tissues from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

METHODS
The expression and distribution of BTLA antigen was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, fluorescence double-staining was used to further identify the cell types expressing BTLA.

RESULTS
Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that a great deal of BTLA positive cells were found in RA synovium, and fluorescence double-staining further demonstrated that BTLA positive cells were CD3(+); T cells, CD68(+); macrophages, and occasionally CD31(+); endothelial cells. In contrast to other members of B7 superfamily, the expression of BTLA was also found on B7-H1(+);, B7-H4(+); and HVEM(+); cells, while it was absence on B7-DC(+); cells as well as B7-H3(+); cells.

CONCLUSION
The expression of BTLA has been observed on the surface of several kinds of cells within synovial tissues of RA patients, which indicates this signal might be involved in the regulation of local T cell activation and the pathogenesis of RA.


ABSTRACT We examined the inhibitory effects of three heparins on the growth of Babesia parasites. The multiplication of Babesia bovis, B. bigemina, B. equi, and B. caballi in in vitro cultures and that of B. microti in vivo were significantly inhibited in the presence of heparins, as determined by light microscopy. Treatment with various concentrations of heparin showed complete clearance of the intracellular parasites. Interestingly, a higher percentage of abnormally multidividing B. bovis parasites was observed in the presence of low concentrations of heparin. Furthermore, fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled heparin was preferably found on the surfaces of extracellular merozoites, as detected by confocal laser scanning microscopy. These findings indicate that the heparin covers the surfaces of babesial merozoites and inhibits their subsequent invasion of erythrocytes.


A case of sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma with widespread metastases to liver and bones in a cadaver renal transplant recipient is reported in this article. The patient underwent a kidney transplant at the age of 43 and was treated with various immunosuppressive agents after surgery. Twelve months after the transplantation, multiple tumors were found in the liver, and the patient died 8 months later. Pathological examination at autopsy revealed renal cell carcinoma with a sarcomatoid component in the right native kidney and metastases to liver and bones. It is unusual for renal cell carcinoma to undergo sarcomatous transformation and to metastasize to the liver before reaching other organs. We speculate that immunosuppressants may have altered malignant cell proliferation, invasion, and the form of metastasis in this case.


"Ian Skedd's Sign Singing, Love Will Tear Us Apart, Joy Division 1979, Deaf Choir 2009 challenges our understanding of what constitutes the experience and meaning of music and musical performance. In the video, twelve performers, recruited through Vancouver's Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, perform Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart in American Sign Language (ASL). None of the performers have heard the song, but have, working together, translated the lyrics to ASL and memorized them as part of their commitment to the project In conceptualizing, facilitating, and documenting this performance, Skedd reminds us how that the mainstream defines, conceives, and limits the world in ways which do not literally and conceptually speak for everyone." -- Publisher's website.


Spectrum sensing is a key functionality in cognitive radio to avoid unacceptable interference to primary users. When channel traffic becomes heavy, channel state switches within a sensing duration with a high probability, and conventional spectrum sensing methods suffer from a performance floor in miss-detection probability. In this work, after formulating a binary hypothesis problem, we develop a sticky hidden Markov model with a Beta distribution prior (SHMM-Beta) algorithm to categorize the received samples into two clusters corresponding to channel states ON and OFF. Then, we design an SHMM-Beta based detector for spectrum sensing whose test statistic is the ratio of the posterior probabilities of the hidden state variable at the last time instant of the sensing duration. Simulation results show that the proposed SHMM-Beta based detector does not exhibit performance floor in miss-detection probability, and significantly outperforms the conventional detectors specifically designed to handle the switches of channel states.


Abstract : As of 2005, the Department of Defense (DoD) has identified nearly 6,000 sites at its facilities that require groundwater remediation and has invested $20 billion for site cleanup over a tenyear period (Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2005). At many of these sites, unsaturated chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOC) source zones located above the water table are producing and sustaining groundwater plumes. Many of these unsaturated sources are currently being treated with soil vapor extraction (SVE) technologies. Long-term SVE projects can be very costly, as the treatment process for the recovered vapors is expensive. The overall objective of this project is to show if Hydrogen-Based Treatment (H2T) can serve as a remediation technology for the unsaturated zone, either as the initial remediation technology applied at a site or as a polishing technology that will allow DoD site managers to shut down an existing expensive, low performance SVE system, but where monitored natural attenuation may not be sufficient to control the groundwater plume that is sourced by the residual contaminants in the unsaturated zone. With such a technology, the cost for remediating these groundwater plumes can be greatly reduced, and a much more sustainable remedy can be implemented. This demonstration answers key questions about the performance, implementability, and cost of the technology. If successful, the H2T system can serve as a cost-effective and more sustainable remediation technology (i.e., lower carbon-footprint) for unsaturated soils containing chlorinated solvents.


Alexanyan Arshak - Postgraduate Student, Department of International Law, Faculty of Law,National Research University Higher School of Economics. E-mail: email@example.com: National Research University - Higher School of Economics, 20, Myasnitskaya str., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation.This paper has become a result of the research of concepts international security and national security of a state. The problems of international security remain very topical. The paper analyzes and reveals the structure of such concepts as international security and national security, their commonalities and differences. In particular, the aims of national security are a set of tasks based on the integrity and reliability of a state. International security may be defined as a special condition of interstate relations when all states irrespective of their economic or military power, political or social system, state regime, size and territorial situation implement their sovereignty and equality by finding a balance between national and universal interests following the principles and common norms of international law. The author analyzes the UN Charter, General Assembly and Security Council Resolutions, decisions of UN International Court, documents of international organizations, multi- and bilateral treaties between states, international law doctrine and research of legal academics. Having compared the features of international and national security, the author makes a conclusion that these phenomena of social life differ though interconnected. The author examines the problem of comparison, balance and complementarity of these concepts.


A clamp has a handle assembly, a gripping assembly having a pair of jaws that can be opened and closed to grip an element, and a shaft assembly. The shaft assembly has a flexible shaft having a proximal end that is operatively coupled to the handle assembly and a distal end that is operatively coupled to the gripping assembly. The shaft assembly also has a rigid element that can be placed in a first position where the rigid element supports the shaft in a manner where the shaft cannot be bent, and in a second position where the shaft can be bent.


The constant demand of healthcare has led to different technological sectors to consider new mechanisms that facilitate the monitoring of vital signs. This work is in the context of the development of a monitoring system that consist of multiparameter acquisition elements that have a power consumption of 1,5 W. It is a portable device with a size of 66 mm x 20 mm x 70 mm, displays its readings in a local touchscreen module and in a computer located remotely through a wireless module.


Property tax valuation and assessment for low-income housing remain a challenge for real estate assessors, developers, property managers, and local governments. This paper reported the research findings on the use of valuation methods for real estate tax abatement in low-income properties gathered from real data. Based on data from income statements and balance sheets of client's properties, valuation models for low-income housing versus market-price housing were proposed and the major variances were compared. From the examination of the major valuation methods used by states and localities, evidence was found to explain:
1) How the fair market value method failed to apply to the tax assessment in Massachusetts that requires a market-price value for property assessment purpose, and
2) why the income approach is preferred in the asset valuation of low-income housing.
The findings showed the effectiveness of income approach in the absence of statutory mandates in the State of Massachusetts where a disparate body of case law is used. The paper shined light on valuing real estate encumbered with restrictions for assessment purposes, especially for properties vulnerable to changes in property taxes. It further suggested the need for a legislative resolution for clarity and consistency in valuation of low income housing.


The goal of this study is to determine the economic value (implicit price) that consumers give to different characteristics with influence in the purchase decision of traditional varieties of tomatoes. To accomplish this aim three hedonic price models have been estimated with data obtained from an experimental auction where participants should bid and value hedonically the tomatoes. The results point to a relationship between the price and the income level of the participants, as well as the tomato hedonic ratings


Background: While tuberculosis is considered a risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a restrictive pattern of pulmonary impairment may actually be more common among tuberculosis survivors. We aimed to deter‑ mine the nature of pulmonary impairment before and after treatment among people with HIV and tuberculosis and identify risk factors for long‑term impairment. Methods: In this prospective cohort study conducted in South Africa, we enrolled adults newly diagnosed with HIV and tuberculosis who were initiating antiretroviral therapy and tuberculosis treatment. We measured lung function and symptoms at baseline, 6, and 12 months. We compared participants with and without pulmonary impairment and constructed logistic regression models to identify characteristics associated with pulmonary impairment. Results: Among 134 participants with a median CD4 count of 110 cells/μl, 112 (83%) completed baseline spirom‑ etry at which time 32 (29%) had restriction, 13 (12%) had obstruction, and 9 (7%) had a mixed pattern. Lung func‑ tion was dynamic over time and 30 (33%) participants had impaired lung function at 12 months. Baseline restriction was associated with greater symptoms and with long‑term pulmonary impairment (adjusted odds ratio 5.44, 95% confidence interval 1.16–25.45), while baseline obstruction was not (adjusted odds ratio 1.95, 95% confidence interval 0.28–13.78). Conclusions: In this cohort of people with HIV and tuberculosis, restriction was the most common, symptomatic, and persistent pattern of pulmonary impairment. These data can help to raise awareness among clinicians about the heterogeneity of post‑tuberculosis pulmonary impairment, and highlight the need for further research into mediators of lung injury in this vulnerable population.


[1] The ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) depends on a set of ensemble forecasts to calculate the background error covariances. Without model error perturbations and the inflation of forecast ensembles, the spread of the ensemble forecasts can collapse rapidly. There are several ways to generate model perturbations, i.e., perturbations in model parameters/parameterizations, perturbations in the forcing fields of the model and adding some error terms to the right-hand side of the model equations. In this paper, we focus on the "adding model error terms" approach, which utilizes a first-order Markov chain model. This approach is suitable to those unforced models, such as the coupled atmosphere-ocean models. However, for a multivariate model, the balance between different model variables could be an important issue in building its model-error model. In this paper, we focus on building a balanced error model for an intermediate coupled model for El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) predictions. A simple approach to build such a model-error model is proposed on the basis of the multivariate empirical orthogonal functions method. EnKF data assimilation experiments with different configurations of multivariate model error treatments (no model errors, unbalanced and balanced model errors) are performed using realistic sea surface temperature (SST) and sea level (SL) observations. Results show that it is necessary to develop balanced, multivariate model-error models in order to successfully assimilate both SST and SL observations. The hindcasts initialized from these different assimilation experiment results also demonstrate that the balanced model errors can yield more balanced initial conditions that lead to improved predictions of ENSO events.


Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological malignancy. Recurrence and subsequent resistance to chemotherapy have become major obstacles to treating these diseases. In the present study, we showed that a natural withanolide isolated from the plant Physalis pubescens L. (Solanaceae), Physapubescin B, exhibited potent anti-tumor activity against ovarian cancer cells. Physapubescin B promoted apoptosis, induced cell-cycle arrest and inhibited invasion of ES-2 and A2780 cells. Physapubescin B treatment also resulted in suppression of the transcriptional activity of STAT3, an oncogenic transcription factor activated in many human malignancies including ovarian cancer, through disturbing the dimerization of STAT3, and thereby inhibited the nuclear translocation of Tyr705/Ser727-phosphorylated STAT3. The IL-6-stimulated activation of STAT3 and its downstream genes Cyclin D1, survivin, and Bcl-xL was also repressed by Physapubescin B. Furthermore, Physapubescin B sensitizes A2780 cells to taxol-induced cell growth inhibition in vitro. These findings strongly suggest that Physapubescin B has potential antitumor activity and may circumvent taxol resistance in human ovarian cancer cells through inhibition of aberrant activation of STAT3.


According to data from 2008-2012 recorded there are 945 students PSBR have and are getting guidance to the percentage of success is 60.63% independent/ working and 39.37% status is not clear. The purpose of this activity is implementation of a waste management training to be creative, innovative and economy products like sofa from plastic bottles, plus-pack (stationery box), make growing media from waste paper and manufacture of plastic fruit crops such as citrus fruit plants, peppers and eggplant. In addition, the workshop was also held bussines workshop to finalize their business plan opportunities that they would do after graduating from social institutions.


This invited talk will present two different technologies which have the potential to increase the data rate and lower the energy-per-bit in communication systems: Millimeter-wave/THz silicon RFICs and RF MEMS tunable networks. The mm-wave silicon RFIC technology is also applicable to a wide range of miniature sensors, such as low power radars and imaging systems, operating at 100 GHz and above. It is seen that these technologies are enabling a whole new set of systems deemed impossible a few years ago, and are now available at low cost. The application areas of these two technologies will have a far reaching effect on our communication and sensor infrastructure.


Localization by image retrieval is inexpensive and scalable due to simple mapping and matching techniques. Such localization, however, depends upon the quality of image features often obtained using Contrastive learning frameworks. Most contrastive learning strategies opt for features to distinguish different classes. In the context of localization, however, there is no natural definition of classes. Therefore, images are usually artificially separated into positive/negative classes, with respect to the chosen anchor images, based on some geometric proximity measure. In this paper, we show why such divisions are problematic for learning localization features. We argue that any artificial division based on proximity measure is undesirable, due to the inherently ambiguous supervision for images near proximity threshold. To this end, we propose a novel technique that uses soft positive/negative assignments of images for contrastive learning, avoiding the aforementioned problem. Our soft assignment makes a gradual distinction between close and far images in both geometric and feature spaces. Experiments on four large-scale benchmark datasets demonstrate the superiority of our soft contrastive learning over the state-of-the-art method for retrieval-based visual localization.


Hypnosis provides a powerful tool to facilitate change in individuals, couples, and families troubled by anxiety, depression, and stress. It can also be used for pain relief and performance enhancement; and for changing habits such as smoking and eating. Solution oriented hypnosis accesses the patients' abilities and resources in overcoming their limitations that were causing their problems.


Consolidation of nano-particles into micron-sized granules reduces the potential risks associated with handling nano-powders in dry form. Spray drying is a one step granulation technique which can be designed for safe production of free flowing low dusty granules from suspensions of nano-particles. Spray dried granules are well suited for subsequent processing into final products where the superior properties given by the nano-particles are retained. A spray drier with bag filters inside the drying chamber and recycling of drying gas combined with containment valves are proposed as a safe process for granulation of potential hazardous nano-particles.


Land surface emissivity in the thermal infrared usually increases when the vegetation amount increases, reaching values that are larger than 0.98. During an experiment in Morocco over dry barley crops, it was found that emissivity may be significantly lower than 0.98 at full cover and that in some situations, it might decrease with increasing amount of vegetation, which was unexpected. Older data acquired in Barrax, Spain, over senescent barley also exhibited emissivity values lower than 0.98. The decrease of emissivity was also observed by means of simulations done with our land surface emissivity model developed earlier. The main reason for such behavior might be found in low leaf emissivity due to leaf dryness. This letter also stresses that knowledge on leaf and canopy emissivities and on their variation as a function of water content is still very limited


The feeding behaviour of some 30 species of Octocorallia was examined in the laboratory and in the field. All of the species from the Orders–Alcyonacea, Gorgonacea, Stolonifera and Telestacea, appear to have a common, basic feeding strategy. Fine particulate matter and zooplankton were captured in a raptorial manner by the tentacles and pinnules. Upon capture of food particles, the tentacles were flexed rapidly inwards and closed or wiped across the mouth. At the same time the mouth opened and ingestion was accomplished by directional ciliary currents in the mouth and the pharynx. Food capture by means of mesenterial filaments, mucus strands or ciliary currents was not observed. The examination of gut contents of Alcyonacea showed that they feed upon zooplankton. Epibenthic copepods from the demersal coral reef zooplankton were an important element of the diet of alcyonaceans.


It's all about life in an intensive care unit. Of course, there is an organic aspect of life, the maintenance of which relies on a knowledge. Playing with a human being, life relies also on a psychological aspect and the temptation is great to answer the problematical by knowledge as well. But such an attitude would be most inoperative. It could only serve the therapeutist in economizing his own psychological engagement in the relation with the patient. In the confrontation between patient and therapeutist, isn't it rather a question of existential work between two protagonists during which the patient would be fighting for the maintenance or the restitution of his own person, while the therapeutist tries to maintain his.


This article takes a fresh look at baseball's alleged antitrust exemption and explains why, after all, the exemption is alleged rather than actual. For contrary to popular opinion, this article concludes that the Supreme Court's 1922 Federal Baseball Club decision did not exempt Organized Baseball from federal antitrust laws. Instead, the opinion was much more limited in scope and never reached the question of whether Organized Baseball should be treated differently than other, similarly situated businesses or institutions, although Organized Baseball clearly invited the Justices to make this determination in its brief to the Court. As this article discusses, the Court's silence on this question spoke volumes as to just what it was ruling on and, more importantly, what it was not. Regardless, the notion of an antitrust exemption arising out of the Federal Baseball opinion eventually took root and this article examines how and why this occurred. This article attempts to answer the following questions: where did the notion of the exemption come from? When did it arise in the consciousness of the nation's popular and legal experts? When did it actually arise as a matter of legal doctrine? How and why did the popular notion of the game's exemption take root? And how and why did the exemption finally become a legal reality as opposed to a popular theory? In order to answer these questions, this article bypasses the well-trod traditional mode of analysis with regard to this issue – the Supreme Court's "baseball trilogy" (The 1922 Federal Baseball, 1953 Toolson, and 1972 Flood cases) – and instead tackles the issues from a different perspective: that of those who argued those three cases before the Supreme Court. Specifically, rather than simply analyzing the opinions themselves, this article examines the briefs filed by the parties which led to them. Through this process, the intent of the parties can be observed in light of the opinions that resulted from the Justices' consideration of them. What did the litigants seek in their cases? What did they believe they were arguing for? How did they characterize the issues presented to the Court? By examining these briefs, and by comparing their arguments with the opinions that resulted, this article attempts to reach at least some preliminary conclusions with regard to what the Court was saying, as opposed to what most scholars have come to believe it to have said. Through this process, this article likewise attempts to discern the nature and extent of each ruling within the baseball trilogy. What emerges is an analysis of law and baseball that throws new light on the game's alleged antitrust exemption.


While enhanced platelet activation may drive cancer progression and metastases, less is known about its role in early cancer development. Thus, we evaluated whether pre‐diagnostic biomarkers of platelet activation and coagulation are related to the risks of common cancers in the prospective EPIC‐Heidelberg Study using a case‐cohort design. Levels of fibrinogen, soluble glycoprotein (sGP) IIb/IIIa, soluble P‐selectin (sP‐selectin), soluble thrombomodulin (sTM), and thrombopoietin (TPO) were measured in baseline plasma samples of a random subcohort (n = 2,480) and incident cases of breast (n = 605), prostate (n = 543), and colorectal cancer (n = 249). Multivariable Cox regression models revealed no statistically significant associations between biomarker concentrations and any of the cancer endpoints. Subgroup analyses showed a significant inverse relationship between TPO and colorectal cancer among men, with a hazard ratio (HR, highest vs. lowest quartile) of 0.60 (95% confidence interval: 0.37,0.95), whereas no significant association was observed among women. With regard to fibrinogen levels and breast cancer risk, there was a significant positive association among nulliparous women (HR: 2.53 [95% CI: 1.21, 5.30]), but not among parous women. Overall, our data suggest that enhanced platelet activation and a pro‐coagulative state may not be related to increased risks of common cancers, although studies on other potential biomarkers of platelet activation and further cancer types are needed. Findings from our subgroup analyses require further investigation, as potential underlying mechanisms are not known.


We demonstrate a photochemical reaction between graphene and benzoyl peroxide. This reaction introduces spatially localized defects into the graphene basal plane. The reactivity of the single-layer graphene is approximately 14 times higher than that of the double-layer graphene. Our result suggests that photoexcited graphene transfers a hot electron to benzoyl peroxide and induces its decomposition to a phenyl radical.


Objective: This study aims to determine the association between auricular signals and the risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods: A case-control study with an equal number of cases and controls matched by age group and gender was conducted. A total of 204 participants were recruited. Patients were verified as having MS based on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Auricular assessment was conducted in the following sequence: visual inspection, electrical skin resistance test (ESRT), and pressure pain test (PPT). Results: MS+ patients tend to have much more oily auricle complexion than the controls. The 'endocrine' (right) of the participants with MS indicated a significantly higher electrical conductivity compared to that of the controls. The MS group participants experienced significant tenderness on the 'heart' and 'endocrine' acupoints. A number of auricular signals were also associated with the risk factors of MS, including age, gender, smoking status, family history of diabetes, and comorbid illnesses. Both the 'heart' and 'endocrine' acupoints showed the highest sensitivity to tenderness (60.8%), followed by the 'endocrine' (59.8%) and 'pancreas and gallbladder' (55.9%). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that electrical conductivity and tenderness of a number of auricular points, including the 'heart', 'pancreas and gall bladder', and 'endocrine', are associated with MS and its risk factors. Further investigations with a larger sample size could be conducted to verify the value of these auricular signals on MS risk prediction so that this method can be used as an early screening method for the population with a high MS risk.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is the evolution of the intramucosal pH (pHi) during the quirurgic and the immediate postoperative process in pediatric patients, operated in abdominal surgery longer than 90 minutes.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A prospective study including 25 patients was done. In all of them intraabdominal surgery was performed. The mean age was 5.6 +/- 3 years, range from 9 months to 13 years. The operative time was 207 +/- 76 minutes. The pHi was measured by means of a sigmoid tonometer introduced in the stomach. A tonometry was done hourly during the operative procedure, and every 8 hours during the postoperative period.

RESULTS
157 determinations of pHi were made with an average of 6.28 per patient. During the operative period the pHi decreased from 7.36 +/- 0.11 (30') to 7.22 +/- 0.11 (210'). During the postoperative, the pHi increased to 7.36 +/- 0.05, 24 hours later (p < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS
During the surgery there was a significant reduction of the pHi, which recovered 16 hours after in the postoperative.


Summary form only given. Acyclic partitioning of VLSI circuits is studied under area/delay, 1-0 size and communication constraints. In this paper, we define the path-delay-fault emulation problem which adds a new constraint, viz. path count constraint, to partitioning problem. We present two algorithms to solve the problem. The first algorithm decomposes a circuit into entirely-fanout-free cones (EFFC), and clusters them into partitions. The second one finds an intermediate partitioning solution with the partitioning algorithm ignoring path count constraint. Later, it applies the first algorithm to the partitions which violate the path count constraint. We implemented the first algorithm and measured its efficiency in terms of the number of resulting partitions, cut-cost, and time cost for ISCAS85 benchmarks.


We propose a new streamlined two-step geographic visual analytics (GVA) workflow for efficient data storage and access based on a native web-enabled XML database called TreeTank coupled with a Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) graphical user interface for visualization. On the one hand this new storage framework promises better scalability with rapidly growing datasets available on the Internet. On the other hand, it reduces data access and update delays for collaborative GVA environments, while improving interactivity and flexibility from an end-user perspective. The proposed framework relies on a REST-based web interface providing scalable, and spatio-temporal read-write access to complex spatio-temporal datasets of structured, semi-structured, or unstructured data. The clean separation of client and server at the HTTP web layer assures back-wards compatibility and better extensibility. We discuss the proposed framework and apply it on a prototype implementation employing world debt data. The excellent compression ratio of SVG as well as its fast delivery to end users suggests encouraging further steps towards dynamic, highly interactive, and collaborative geovisual analytics environments.