This paper studies aligned glass fiber-reinforced composites for printing. To determine the influence of fiber content and alignment on the mechanical properties of this novel material, a large number of standard test specimens were prepared, which included samples fabricated by mold-casting, randomly dispersed fiber reinforced mixtures and aligned fiber cement composites containing 10 types of fiber volume ratios manufactured by nozzle sizes ranging of 24 and 10 mm (fiber length = 12 mm). Mechanical properties and failure modes of the specimens under compression and flexural tests were studied experimentally. The anisotropic behaviors of printed samples were analyzed by different loading directions. As a result, the compressive and flexural strength of printed samples showed obvious anisotropy. With the increase of fiber volume ratio, flexural strength of the fiber reinforced composite was elevated tremendously but its compression strength reduced slightly. Moreover, fiber alignment also had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of the fiber reinforced composite. The composite cement-based material with 1 vol.-% aligned fiber exhibited an excellent flexural strength of 9.38 MPa, which increased by 483% in comparison to that of the plain cement paste.


This study investigated the occurrence of cryptosporidium and cryptosporidiosis in calves from Jos, Northern Nigeria. Two hundred fecal samples were collected from the calves, recruited for an all year round study (January to December 2007). Fecal samples were obtained directly from the rectum of each animal. The samples were processed based on the formol ether concentration technique and the saturated sodium chloride flotation method. Cryptosporidium spp. was detected using the modified Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) method. Significant relationships (p>0.05) between the prevalence and distribution of cryptosporidium and other enteric pathogens in the calves examined were recorded. Cryptosporidium species recorded the highest prevalence in the calves (38.5%), while coccidian had 21.2%, and Monizia expansa and Neoascaris vitulomum recorded 18.6%. There was a significant difference (p>0.05) in the prevalence of cryptosporidium species across sex and ages of the calves. Prevalence decreased with age. Infection was more common in animals aged 1-10 to 21-30 days, while in relation to sex, the female calves recorded slightly higher prevalence (38.7%) than the Males (38.3%). Keywords: Cryptosporidium, cryptosporidiosis, coccidian calves, Nigeria


Early work by numerous investigators (Robinson 1963, Tracy et al. 1976, Robinson et al. 1982, 1986a, b) provides a structural and metamorphic framework for the Acadian metamorphic high in central Massachusetts within which changes in phase composition and assemblage in the rocks can be correlated. Six metamorphic zones have been distinguished (Tracy et al. 1976, Robinson et al. 1982), reflecting prograde (T) metamorphic conditions in graphite-bearing pelitic rocks (Fig. 1) that range from the amphibolite through to the lower granulite facies. The T and P estimates are based mainly on A. B. Thompson's (1976) pioneering work in quantifying T and P using biotite-garnet Fe/Mg exchange and the garnet-cordierite-sillimanite-quartz assemblage, respectively. Background and setting Understanding of P-T trajectories in a region of complex deformation and metamorphism requires three types of information: (i) major and minor structural features that can be linked in a local kinematic sequence and regionally, to provide time correlation of the tectonic events; (ii) petrological features that give P-T information, and that can be correlated with the sequence of structural events; and (iii) significant geochronological information to provide an absolute time-frame for metamorphic events. The structural development and metamorphism of the region took place mainly during the Devonian Acadian orogeny and affected stratified and intrusive rocks of late Precambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, and Lower Devonian age. In termsof present tectonic inter-pretations, the area lay east (present geography) of the early Palaeozoic ocean, Iapetus, that closed during the Taconian orogeny, and east of the pertinent subduction zone. It also lay


The human neutrophil is a crucial participant in acute inflammation. Appropriate immune response is dependent on rapid direction of phagocytic cells through the tissue, towards the inflammatory focus. Such movement is governed by chemoattractants, e.g., interleukin-8 (IL-8/CXCL-8). Circulating neutrophils are packed with granules that contain effector molecules used for different cell activities. Upon activation, the neutrophil mobilizes the granules to the plasma membrane and the forming phagolysosome, thereby exposing new receptors and releasing substances to the extracellular milieu or into the phagolysosome. The classical neutrophil granules are well-defined and one of them, the secretory vesicle, has been suggested to contain the CXCL-8 of resting neutrophils. However, using fractionation techniques and immunogold labeling, we show that neutrophils store CXCL-8 in an organelle distinct from the granules and secretory vesicles. In neutrophil cytoplasts, we found partial colocalization of CXCL-8 and calnexin, a marker for the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), suggesting that a proportion of CXCL-8 is localized to the ER or ER-like structures in the neutrophil. The identification of specific markers for individual subcellular compartments is crucial to neutrophil research. HLA class I (HLA-I) has been proposed as an ideal marker for the plasma membrane, much due to the fact that it is un-influenced by stimulation. By the use of detailed fractionation protocols, we found that HLA-I not only colocalizes with the plasma membrane but is also present in other organelles of slightly higher densities. Moreover, the mixed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MELISA), used to detect the 2-microglobulin ( 2m)/HLA-I complex, proved to be negatively affected by uncomplexed 2m, making it difficult to use HLA-I as a marker during, for example, phagolysosome formation. The involvement of the ER in macrophage phagocytosis is a matter of debate. The classical dogma that mature neutrophils are poor producers of protein and that they contain ER of very limited amounts has essentially precluded these cells from the discussion. However, neutrophils do produce proteins, such as CXCL-8, upon stimulation, suggesting a functional ER in these cells. We studied calnexin and CXCL-8 in the context of phagocytosis, using the promyelocytic cell line HL-60, known to carry out phagocytosis in much the same way as neutrophils do. CXCL-8 and calnexin did not colocalize during phagocytosis, and calnexin was not detected on the phagosomal membrane. We conclude that phagocytosis does not involve ER fusion in HL-60 cells and neutrophils, and that these cells differ from macrophages in this respect.


Livestock raiding has been a source of conflict amongst and between pastoral societies in Africa for hundreds of years. However, more recently, these raids have become more violent and have triggered much more organised retaliations. Many times raids themselves are perceived as motivated by ethnic dimensions. The following paper looks at tensions and conflict between Turkana and Pokot communities in rural Kenya. The paper first traces the historical context of cattle rustling and livestock raiding between pastoral communities within Kenya. It then identifies contemporary factors driving exacerbated tensions: access to resources, profiteering, and weapons proliferation. The paper further explores the systemic nature of the conflict through analysing livestock raiding as a conflict spiral dictated by negative reciprocal actions. The spiral is ultimately maintained due to mimetic violence structures that are in place. It then offers prescriptions and potential solutions to the conflict, which are centred on transcending the relationship from mimetic violence to mimetic peace and reconciliation. Ultimately, by empowering local pastoral communities in the form of multi-ethnic coalitions, and promoting broad-based interest groups, cultural transcendence can reverse the conflict spiral into a relationship of mutual reciprocity and mimetic peace.


Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and inflammatory disorder that causes degeneration of axons in brain white matter and spinal cord. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is extensively used to identify MS lesions and evaluate the progression of the disease, but the manual identification and quantification of lesions are time consuming and error-prone tasks. Thus, automated Deep Learning methods, in special Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), are becoming popular to segment medical images. It has been noticed that the performance of those methods tends to decrease when applied to MRI acquired under different protocols. The aim of this work is to statistically evaluate the possible influence of domain adaptation during the training process of CNNs models for segmenting MS lesions in MRI. The segmentation models were tested on MRIs (FLAIR and T1) of 20 patients diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The set of segmented images of each different model was compared statistically, through the metrics Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), Predictive Positive Value (PPV) and Absolute Volume Difference (AVD). The results indicate that the domain adapted training can improve the performance of automatic segmentation methods, by CNNs, and have great potential to be used in medical clinics in the future.


Researchers who study code-switching using lab-based approaches face a series of methodological challenges; these include, but are not limited to, using adequate techniques and tasks that allow for processing that reflects real-language usage and selecting stimuli that reflect the participants' code-switching community norms. We present two illustrative eye-tracking studies that consider these challenges. Study 1 tests whether experience with code-switching leads to differential processing of Spanish determiner-English noun code-switches (e.g., una cookie 'a cookie'). Study 2 examines auxiliary-verb code-switches involving the progressive structure (e.g., estan cooking 'are cooking') and perfect structure (e.g., han cooked 'have cooked') while participants read either for comprehension or provide grammaticality judgments. The results of both studies highlight the advantages that eye-tracking provides when its use is accompanied by an appropriate bilingual sample, by stimuli that reflect actual bilingual language use, and by secondary tasks that do not invoke metalinguistic processes.


In conventional sports training, coaches record and observe athletes' sports data and judge whether it is reasonable based on their own experience. This qualitative analysis method is highly subjective, has large errors, and is susceptible to interference. To solve the above problems, the design of the sports training system under the wireless sensor network and the research of movement monitoring and recognition become very important. This article aims to study the design of sports training system and the monitoring and recognition of actions under the wireless sensor network technology. This paper simulates the implementation of the proposed data collection protocol and the two basic protocols, the direct transfer algorithm and the flooding algorithm, and compares the protocol proposed in this paper with the other two algorithms in terms of average information transmission success rate and average network overhead. Among them, the average information transmission success rate represents the ratio of the number of messages successfully arriving at the base station to the total amount of information generated by all nodes, and the average network overhead represents the average number of messages sent by each node. Experimental results show that the data collection protocol proposed in this paper can dynamically provide different transmission qualities for information of different importance levels, effectively reducing network overhead, and the reduced overhead is 11% of the original.


Although social ties are a necessary condition for social capital, there is a dearth of research on the factors associated with the existence of such ties among school staff. Using a mixed-methods approach, we examined the role of both formal organizational infrastructure and individual characteristics in shaping advice and information interactions about instruction among school staff within and between schools. Our findings from social-network models showed that, while individual characteristics were associated with within- and between-school ties, aspects of the formal school organization had larger effects. Moreover, having a subject-specific leadership position most strongly predicted between-school ties. Our analysis of interview data supported and extended these findings, showing that leadership positions worked in tandem with other aspects of the organizational infrastructure, such as organizational routines, to influence school staff members' interactions about instruction.


Geographical information system (GIS) is a tool for management to support their decision making about location. This system integrates geographical data and demographic data to decide the location of potential services unit. With a huge opportunity to develop speed and accuracy of handling geographical data, GIS can make this data be applied for another kind of managerial and social issues the future challenge is how we can optimize this system for developing company's value and mission.


The evaluation of metals levels in cow blood is important for assessing the potential effects of pollutants on grazing cattle and for quantifying contaminant intakes by humans. Hence Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) was used to determine trace and heavy metals of toxicological implications in cow blood. Six trace metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Ni, Al) were found in a range between 0.18±0.10 to 36.62±7.71ppm and 0.20±0.06 to 35.11±14.78ppm in sample area A and B respectively. Three heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr) of toxicological implications were also found to range between 0.12±0.04 to 2.12±1.54 in area A and 0.17±0.14 to 2.81±0.90ppm in study area B. No statistically significant difference was observed between the two study areas for all the elements determined at 95%confidence levels. Except for Cu and Mn the values obtained were higher than the allowable limit for trace elements in blood.


The effect of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on the pressor and hormonal response to angiotensin (ANG) II has been studied in 22 women in second trimester pregnancy. Three-point dose-response curves were initially determined for all women. Eleven then received an infusion of PGE1 while the remainder received an infusion of normal saline as controls. The dose-response curves to ANG II were re-studied after a period of stabilization. Although assignation to treatment group was random, differences were found in age and basal blood pressure between the control group and those given PGE1. The pressor data from the PGE1 group were thus split by age for analysis. The administration of ANG II alone was associated with significant (P less than 0.001 at all doses) pressor effects without accompanying bradycardia. Plasma renin concentration (PRC) was suppressed (P less than 0.001). Plasma aldosterone concentration rose (P less than 0.001), the magnitude of the rise being directly associated with the plasma ANG II concentrations achieved (P less than 0.05). The infusion of PGE1 had no significant effect on basal blood pressure, but evoked a sustained tachycardia in both age groups (P less than 0.001). Basal hormone concentrations were unchanged.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This study investigates the purchasing process of broadband internet in Australian families. The study was motivated by the question of why broadband adoption rate is low in Australia. Broadband as a telecommunication service is used collectively by family members. Therefore, we interviewed 15 families. From the content analysis of interview data, we developed the Family Broadband Purchasing Process model which maps the critical events, the interplay of family roles and influencing factors that lead to the decision to purchase broadband. The findings can help broadband service providers to leverage their marketing strategies in countries of low broadband take-up.


While the business of Yangtze River and Pearl River delta in China is booming, most OEM enterprises attempt to maintain or exploit market through rapid development or innovation in the form of customized design. With the design period is cut down greatly, in order to improve design quality on the current situation of industrial design in China, this paper proposes the method of agile industrial design, and builds the agility model with three major factors of dynamic team, lightweight process, and flexible methods. The method is adapted to the conceptual design process filled with uncertainty, especially in creativity and demand. Based on it, the paper introduces Scrum used in software development and analyzes its usability in the industrial design. Finally, agile industrial design management mode based on Scrum is constructed. It has solved the problem of rapid response ability in meeting the quality requirements of customers. This mode helps enterprises improve the scientific management in agile design environment.


Two incidents of shared delusions are presented, one between two brothers and the other between an elderly couple. Their presentation and management are discussed. The possible role of projection and overvalued ideas as aetiological factors in Nigerians with shared delusions are highlighted.


Many presidents have been interested in asserting authority over independent regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Reserve Board. The underlying debates raise large constitutional questions, above all about the meaning and justification of the idea of a "unitary executive." In the first instance, however, the president's authority over independent agencies depends not on the Constitution, but on a common statutory phrase, which allows the president to discharge the heads of such agencies for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office." This phrase – the INM standard – is best understood to create a relationship of presidential review and a particular remedy for legal delinquency flowing from that review. It allows the president to discharge members of independent agencies not only for laziness and torpor ("inefficiency") or for corruption ("malfeasance"), but also for neglect of their legal duty, which includes clearly erroneous decisions of policy, law, or fact, either repeatedly or on unusually important matters. Connecting this understanding to the Take Care Clause, we reject both a minimalist approach, which deprives the president of any kind of decisionmaking authority over policy made by independent agencies, and also a maximalist approach, which would treat the independent agencies as essentially identical to executive agencies, in terms of presidential oversight authority. This approach has strong implications for how to understand the President's supervisory authority over the independent agencies; it suggests that he has such authority insofar as he is attempting to ensure against "neglect of duty" but not if he is displacing their policymaking discretion.


Decision making by woman is an indicator of her status in the household. These decisions in households range from trivial issues like decision making about daily purchases to issues like deciding the number of children which have serious consequences in women's health. The men always have some views regarding the decision making role of their wives in the household. A greater communication between men and women will encourage the husbands to develop egalitarian views and attitude towards wives' decision making. The book has been organized into four main chapters.The first chapter gives an in-detail description of the National Family Health Survey (2005-06), followed by discussion of the concept of empowerment of women put forward by NFHS-3 as well as the different scholars through an extensive literature review.The second chapter elaborates different aspects of methodology for the purpose of research in this study. The third chapter deals with the results and discussion after analyzing both the primary and secondary data. The fourth chapter provides a summary of the findings of the study.


The metabolism of organic iodide is the key to thyroid function in all conditions; this is fully dealt with. This, of course, depends largely on the intake and excretion of iodide, and each of these topics is the subject of a chapter. Intake is extremely difficult to estimate, and the authors give examples of errors they have made, obtaining figures that, in relation to iodide excretion, were obviously too high. The commonest source of error in estimating intake is the values taken for the iodide content of foods, which vary widely according to the iodide content of soils.


Parzen estimators are often used for nonparametric estimation of probability density functions. The smoothness of such an estimation is controlled by the smoothing parameter. A problem-dependent criterion for its value is proposed and illustrated by some examples. Especially in multimodal situations, this criterion led to good results.


By using accurate density functional theory calculations, we have studied the cluster complexes of a La(3+) ion interacting with a small number of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) molecules of growing size (from 1 to 12). Extended structural, energetic, and electronic structure analyses have been performed to provide a complete picture of the physical properties that are the basis of the interaction of La(III) with DMSO. Recent experimental data in the solid and liquid phase have suggested a coordination number of 8 DMSO molecules with a square antiprism geometry arranged similarly in the liquid and crystalline phases. By using a cluster approach on the La(3+)(DMSO)n gas phase isolated structures, we have found that the 8-fold geometry, albeit less regular than in the crystal, is probably the most stable cluster. Furthermore, we provide new evidence of a 9-fold complexation geometric arrangement that is competitive (at least energetically) with the 8-fold one and that might suggest the existence of transient structures with higher coordination numbers in the liquid phase.


Complex Dynamic Networks can be exploited in solving problems where traditional solutions may not be sufficient. The increasing complexity of computer networks imposes problems to the current network management solutions. In this context, network management is an example of a research area that could benefit from the use of CDNs. However, the consistency of state of management data among the elements that build management CDNs (management nodes) is an important challenge. Traditional mechanisms to maintain consistency of these states are supported by some centralization which wastes some desirable properties of CDNs (e.g., robustness). In contrast to these mechanisms, we propose a distributed, scalable and robust mechanism to maintain the consistency of state of management data in management CDNs. Our mechanism introduces multi-agent truth maintenance features and communication strategies based on dynamic process to provide consistency maintenance of state of management data. We developed a model of a management CDN on Peersim simulator to perform experiments. Besides, 2 case studies are presented. The result obtained supports our scalability and robustness claims.


Damage of gradually loaded ductile materials involves a number of physical processes which are highly nonlinear and have different intensity and extent. Dynamic defectoscopy (i.e. defectoscopy of time changing damage processes) combining an X-ray/optical imaging system is proposed for online visualization and analysis of the complex behaviour of such materials. A large area flat panel detector with rather long read out time is used for overall observation of slow damage processes. On the other hand, a semiconductor CdTe Timepix detector with small active area allows following the rapid damage processes occurring in the final phase of specimen failure. Optical imaging of the specimen surface was utilized for analysing the specimen deformations.


Aluminum and metal oxide react with each other in a thermite reaction to produce a large amount of heat. In this paper various thermite compositions were synthesized and the ignition temperatures of these thermites were measured using Differential Thermal Analysis/Thermo Gravimetric Analysis. First is the discussion of the behavior, applications, benefits and characteristics of thermite mixture as a subclass of energetic materials. Secondly, five different thermite compositions Aluminothermite, Copper thermite, Chromium thermite, Zinc thermite and lead thermite were synthesized by mixing fuel and the oxidizer in stoichiometric ratios. Aluminothermite was synthesized by two different ways i.e. by simple physical mixing and by using n-Hexane as solvent. Finally, the ignition temperatures of these thermite systems were investigated by using Differential Thermal Analysis/Thermo Gravimetric Analysis at different scan rates in Nitrogen atmosphere. It was found that ignition temperatures of these systems range between 800 to 1250°C. Thermite reactions are difficult to start as they require very high temperatures for ignition, e.g. for Al–Fe2O3 thermite is ca. 1220 °C. Also, the influence of heating rates on the Differential Thermal Analysis behavior of the mixtures was verified. The results showed that as the heating rate was decreased, ignition temperatures of the mixtures were also decreased. Ignition temperature of Aluminothermite was reduced from 1220 to 1130°C when the heating rate was lowered from 10 - 5 °C /min. It was also observed that the ignition temperature is significantly reduced when the binary Si–Bi2O3 system is added as sensitizer in Copper thermite system. The ignition temperature of the system was 1020 °C which was reduced to 890 °C after using sensitizer.


Bone metastasis develops in multiple malignancies with a wide range of incidence. The presence of multiple bone metastases, leading to a multitude of complications and poorer prognosis. The corresponding refractory bone pain is still a challenging issue managed through multidisciplinary approaches to enhance the quality of life. Radiopharmaceuticals are mainly used in the latest courses of the disease. Bone-pain palliation with easy-to-administer radionuclides offers advantages, including simultaneous treatment of multiple metastatic foci, the repeatability and also the combination with other therapies. Several β¯- and α-emitters as well as pharmaceuticals, from the very first [89Sr]strontium-dichloride to recently introduced [223Ra]radium-dichloride, are investigated to identify an optimum agent. In addition, the combination of bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals with chemotherapy or radiotherapy has been employed to enhance the outcome. Radiopharmaceuticals demonstrate an acceptable response rate in pain relief. Nevertheless, survival benefits have been documented in only a limited number of studies. In this review, we provide an overview of bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals used for bone-pain palliation, their effectiveness and toxicity, as well as the results of the combination with other therapies. Bone-pain palliation with radiopharmaceuticals has been employed for eight decades. However, there are still new aspects yet to be established.


Tolerance and dependence on morphine appear more or less simultaneously. Evidence has accumulated that addiction leads to depressed immune function and seem to suggest that dependence is under genetic influence. Morphine and related substances of abuse open perspective on ways to investigate the basic mechanisms related to their cellular and systemic effects.


This article examines reworkings of Alice in Wonderland in works by postwar authors writing in German. While writers of both genders use Lewis Carroll's fictional character to question the expressive capacities of language, Rose Ausländer, Sarah Kirsch, Elisabeth Plessen, and Angelika Mechtel optimistically interpret her protean character as essential to poetic creativity and psychological autonomy. H.C. Artmann and Jürg Federspiel, by contrast, associate Alice with a postmodern loss of coherence in identity and narrative form. (CM)


The complex nature of pollutant accumulation and washoff, along with high temporal and spatial variations, pose challenges for the development and establishment of accurate and reliable models of the pollution generation process in urban environments. Therefore, the search for reliable stormwater quality models remains an important area of research. Model calibration and sensitivity analysis of such models are essential in order to evaluate model performance; it is very unlikely that non-calibrated models will lead to reasonable results. This paper reports on the testing of three models which aim to represent pollutant generation from urban catchments. Assessment of the models was undertaken using a simplified Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) method. Results are presented in terms of performance, sensitivity to the parameters and correlation between these parameters. In general, it was suggested that the tested models poorly represent reality and result in a high level of uncertainty. The conclusions provide useful information for the improvement of existing models and insights for the development of new model formulations.


Broiler chickens (Cobb) were reared from day old to 42 days of age to investigate the effects of different level of vitamin E (0, 100, 200, 300mg/kg diets) in diet on transportation stress response and humoral immune response against Newcastle disease vaccination. Sixty unisex commercial broilers were designed into 4 treatments with 3 replications (five broilers in each replication). All birds were vaccinated against Newcastle disease at day 10 and booster at day 22 intraocular to verify the antibody titers generated by different treatments. Heterophils/Lymphocytes (H/L) were counted to evaluate the transportation stress response of broilers against transportation period (0, 90, 180, 360 minutes) and growth performances were evaluated. Significantly better feed efficiency was noted with broiler chicks fed diet supplemented with 200 mg and 300 mg of vitamin E per kg diet on day 42 (P<0.05). The lower value of H/L ratio recorded in broiler chicks fed diet supplemented with 100mg, 200mg and 300mg of vitamin E suggested that dietary vitamin E alleviate the negative impact of accumulative stress on broiler chicks from loading, handling and transportation. On day 21 (11 days after vaccination), dietary supplementation of vitamin E 300mg/kg diet enhance the antibody production against Newcastle disease vaccination, but the persistency of serum antibody level is shorter. On day 42 (31 days after vaccination), the broiler chickens fed diet supplemented with 200mg of vitamin E responded the lowest antibody titer against Newcastle disease vaccination; suggesting that dietry supplementation of vitamin E 200mg/kg diet cause adverse effect in humoral immune response of broiler chickens.


Recent studies have suggested that the average individual has a sleep requirement in
excess of 8h sleep each night. These concerns stem from reports of relatively
increased propensity for sleep throughout the day for otherwise apparently healthy,
young adults. It has been claimed that a substantial proportion of these individuals
are suffering from a chronic loss of sleep. The work presented in this thesis focuses
on two key issues: (i) the adequacy of current social norms of sleep behaviour, and
(ii) the assumption that an increased propensity for sleep throughout the day is the
single most reliable consequence of a failure to satisfy a physiological need for
sleep.
Throughout the first experiment the potential benefits of sleeping for as much as
10h per night were explored. During 26 consecutive nights EEG recordings and/or
actigraphs were used to monitor the night-time sleep of 10 asymptornatic regular
sleepers (mean 23.6y). The schedule comprised 7 nights of BASELINE sleep, 14
nights of EXTENDED sleep (up to 10h/night), and 5 nights of RECOVERY sleep.
During EXTENDED sleep subjects slept significantly longer (approx. 1h) but sleep
latency and interim wakefidness deteriorated. EXTENDED sleep produced no
improvements to self-rated mood or subjective sleepiness. Vigilance tests showed a
small but significant reduction in reaction time following EXTENDED sleep
compared with both BASELINE and RECOVERY nights. Ability to detect target
tones did not change significantly. An objective measure of daytime sleepiness - the
Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) - showed small (approx I min) reductions
during EXTENDED sleep. These findings give little support to the view of chronic
sleep deprivation in the average 7.5 h sleeper.
The second section includes evidence of a number of circumstances in which sleep
can occur in alert subjects who otherwise showed no indication of sleepiness related
impairment : (i) by using non-conventional scoring criteria throughout MSLT trials,
sleep was found to occur as short bursts, or microsleeps, in non-arousing situations
(ii) in response to a motivational incentive, and (iii) as MSLT defined patholo 91
sleepiness unrelated to sleep-sensitive performance tasks, subjective sleepiness, or
prior sleep behaviour. It is concluded that the capacity for more sleep at night, and
the ability to fall asleep quickly during the day, are not systematically related to a
physiological need for sleep for many healthy, regular sleeping young adults.


CONTEXT
Hemangiopericytoma is a relatively rare tumor, first described in 1942, with approximately 300 cases described in the literature to date. In most cases, it affects the trunk and lower extremities. The head and neck incidence is less than 20%, mostly in adults. We describe a case of malignant head and neck hemangiopericytoma in a child.

TYPE OF STUDY
Case report.

CASE REPORT
A twelve-year-old male patient noted the presence of a firm painless right-side retroauricular lymph node of 1 cm in diameter, which at first remained unchanged for six months, but subsequently enlarged progressively. He denied having had previous trauma at that site. In November 2000, he presented nasal obstruction and voluminous epistaxis that required hospitalization and blood transfusion. During dental treatment one month later, a cranial x-ray revealed bone alterations. A subsequent computed tomography scan showed an extensive lesion of soft tissue density that had invaded the maxillary fossa, eroding the skull base and middle and nasal fossa. The child was then referred to our service, where biopsy was performed, giving a diagnosis of hemangiopericytoma. Shortly afterwards, magnetic resonance imaging revealed that this lesion had undergone significant growth, while maintaining the same invasion pattern. The patient was submitted to conservative surgery in April 2001, with only partial resection of the tumor because of its extent. Histopathological examination of the specimen confirmed the presence of malignant hemangiopericytoma. Following the surgery, the patient presented fast regrowth of the lesion, with partial response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.


The intensive use of chemical fertilisers leads to soil degeneration and promotes the proliferation of insect pests such as aphids. Aphis gossypii (Glov.) is a polyphagous sucking insect which reproduces almost exclusively by parthenogenesis in tropical conditions and has a biological cycle of just 5–6 days, which means it multiplies spectacularly. It is necessary to look for alternative crop fertilisation system enabling reduction of the proliferation of this insect pest. The rhizobacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is known as bio-fertiliser. The present work is aimed at assessing the population dynamics of the aphid Aphis gossypii Glov. in cotton based on different fertilisation materials, namely: B. amyloliquefaciens FZB42 and mineral fertilisers (NPKSB). Three treatments were tested: soaking cotton seeds in the rhizobacterium suspension, application of mineral fertiliser, and control (no fertiliser). To perform this study, cotton plants (Variety H279–1) were grown in 7 L flower pots placed outdoors in the experimental station. The effect of tested fertilisation materials on the populations' dynamics of aphids was assessed in 2 different experiments. For that, we counted the number of aphids on each plant every 3 days. In general, results showed that the cotton plants fertilised with B. amyloliquefaciens FZB 42 attracted significantly fewer aphids compared to those fertilised with NPKSB. At the end of first experiment, aphid mean number per plant was respectively 7.1 ; 22.23 and 72.03 for the control, FZB42 and NPKSB. We suggest conducting trials on this PGPR in field under practical cotton production conditions in West Africa to assess its potentiality as integrated pest management (IPM) component.


The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a stadium-sized facility under construction that will contain a 192-beam, 1.8-Megajoule, 500-Terawatt, ultraviolet laser system together with a 10-meter diameter target chamber with room for multiple experimental diagnostics. NIF will be the world's largest and most energetic laser experimental system, providing a scientific center to study inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. NIF's laser beams are designed to compress fusion targets to conditions required for thermonuclear burn, liberating more energy than required to initiate the fusion reactions. NIF is comprised of 24 independent bundles of 8 beams each using laser hardware that is modularized into line replaceable units such as optical assemblies, amplifiers, and multi-function sensor packages containing thousands of adjusting motors and diagnostic points. NIF is operated by the Integrated Computer Control System (ICCS) in an architecture partitioned by bundle and distributed among over 750 front-end processors and supervisory servers. Bundle control system partitions are replicated and commissioned by configuring the control database for each new bundle. NIF's automated control subsystems are built from a common object-oriented software framework based on CORBA distribution that deploys the software across the computer networkmore » and achieves interoperation between different languages and target architectures. ICCS software is approximately 80% complete with 1.1 million source lines of code delivered to the facility. NIF has successfully activated, commissioned and utilized the first four laser beams to conduct nearly 400 shots in 2003 and 2004, resulting in high quality data that could not be obtained on any other laser system. This presentation discusses NIF's early light commissioning, the status of the control system implementation and plans to complete installation of the remaining laser bundles on the path to fusion ignition.« less


Objective In the last decade, Australian counselling psychologists have seen a decline in the profession as academic programs close and their professional identity diminishes. In 2006, the Federal Government introduced the Better Access mental health initiative, which provides Medicare (Australia's national public health insurance scheme) funding for the community to access psychological services. While the Better Access initiative has been successful for consumers, it has created significant tensions within the psychology profession, offering higher rebates for services offered by a clinical psychologist. The literature highlights that the Better Access system has placed counselling psychology in a vulnerable position. Is this the only threat to the profession? This study sought to establish what Australian counselling psychologists perceive as the challenges facing the profession. Method A web‐based survey was distributed to Australian counselling psychologists seeking information on a range of demographic and professional characteristics. The survey collected information on various aspects of professional identity and practice. Respondents were asked to identify what they see as the challenges facing counselling psychology. Results The main challenges highlighted were related to inequalities in rebate schemes between clinical and counselling psychologists, ingrained biases towards clinical psychology resulting in power imbalances, divides, and in‐fighting within the profession, difficulties demarcating the unique identity of counselling psychologists (both from within and outside), and changes threatening the existence of counselling psychology as a viable training pathway in Australia. Conclusion This paper explores the current challenges to the profession, recommendations for change at the individual and system levels, and directions for the future of the profession.


Abstract Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process was conducted for synthesis of boron (B) doped aluminum nitride (B-AlN) thin films on aluminum (Al) substrates. To prevent melting of the Al substrates, film deposition was carried out at 500 °C using tert-buthylamine (tBuNH2) solution delivered through a bubbler as a nitrogen source instead of ammonia gas (NH3). B-AlN thin films were prepared from three precursors at changing process parameters (gas mixture ratio). X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique and atomic force microscope (AFM) were used to investigate the structural and surface properties of B-AlN thin films on Al substrates. The prepared thin films were polycrystalline and composed of mixed phases {cubic (1 1 1) and hexagonal (1 0 0)} of AlN and BN with different orientations. Intensive AlN peak of high intensity was observed for the film deposited at a flow rate of the total gas mixture of 25 sccm. As the total gas mixture flow decreased from 60 sccm to 25 sccm, the crystallite size of AlN phase increased and the dislocation density decreased. Reduced surface roughness (10.4 nm) was detected by AFM for B-AlN thin film deposited on Al substrate using the lowest flow rate (25 sccm) of the total gas mixture.


High selectivity and removal capacity for an adsorbate ion are an important factor for the selection of an adsorbent. Hydrotalcite and hydrotalcite-like compounds as layered double hydroxide have received much attention for their potential application as adsorbents in various fields. Iron-based hydrotalcite compounds has a high selectivity for arsenic. Boron mineralization in Emet-Hisarcik region is one of the world's largest reserves of boron. Unlike the other boron mineralizations, it also contains arsenic minerals, which cause arsenic pollution in the surface and ground waters within the surrounding area. These waters have also significant levels of boron as dissolved oxyanion. The groundwaters associated with arsenical boron deposits was reported to contain up to 600 μg/L As ve 1500 mg/L B. Remediation of arsenic and boron pollution in this water is therefore required. In this study, the removal of arsenic from borated waters by Fe-Hydrotalcite (FeHT) as iron-based layered double hydroxide was investigated. The investigations showed that the adsorption of arsenic was not influenced by increasing the boron concentration. Fe- Hydrotalcite was found to remove 98% of arsenic from ground water containing high level of boron with its ability to reduce As levels below the limit (10 μg/L As) set for potable water by World Health Organization (WHO). The results of this study showed that FeHT, can be used as a potent adsorbant for the removal of arsenic from the borated waters.


The efficiency of the livestock complex requires an increase in productivity, which is largely associated with the rational use of the forage base and which today can be used with great potential. The efficiency of using the feed base can be significantly increased by compiling and using rational feed mixtures. The use of the stalked part of plants (STP) in the feed makes it possible to obtain more livestock products. So, the use of traditional ingredients can be added to those less common in the preparation of feed, but possessing the necessary qualities, such as the remains of sunflower, oats, rapeseed, flax, triticale, rye, rice, corn, (which are underutilized or not used at all) and other sources a raw material base in the form of the remains of the main production. The stalked parts of agricultural crops can be used in different ways, however, their use is represented by the production of feed mixtures and compound feeds. The use of the listed feeds in practical application is subject to a general requirement related to their preparation, i.e. grinding to ensure digestibility by the animals for which they will be used.


In the present study, we undertook to examine the relationship between urinary sodium retention and systemic hemodynamics in dogs with experimental portal cirrhosis induced by the sporadic feeding of dimethylnitrosamine. Sodium handling was studied by blanace techniques; plasma volume was measured serially with Evan's blue; and CO, blood pressure, CVP, and PVR were monitored through indwelling catheters. Six dogs were studied while standing quietly in a Pavlov sling, in a serial fashion starting 4 weeks after drug administration and continuing for some 3 months thereafter, until all dogs developed cirrhosis and ascites. Urinary sodium retention commenced generally between the ninth to twelfth week following the initation of treatment, but renal perfusion remained normal. Plasma volume expansion was noted within 1 week following the onset of sodium retention. Ascites was generally detected about 2 weeks following the initiation of sodium retention. No alteration in CO or PVR could be detected until ascites was present in significant amount. At that time, CO rose and PVR fell by about 20%. ABP tended to fall during the period of observation, but this was not significant. The initiation of sodium retention in this canine model does not depend on antecedent changes in CO or PVR.


This article sheds light on a set of religious literacy practices which have so far received very little scientific attention, namely 'quranic app practices'. Quranic app practices are conceptualized as ways of engaging with the Quran through religious apps on smartphones or tablets. The article is based primarily on an explorative group interview with four young people from a Year 8 class in a multilingual lower secondary school in Denmark. The youth have Somali and Afghan background, consider themselves practicing Muslims and can be described as 'religious heritage learners of Arabic' (Temples 2013). The article explores the quranic app practices of the young people as reported in the interview and shows how the young people use the quranic apps to engage with the sacred text of the Quran in different ways, with different objectives and drawing on different languages. Building on Rosowsky's (2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015) research on faith literacies, the analysis reveals that the young people have radically different understandings of that it entails to 'read the Quran' and that their quranic app practices vary greatly, but also that their choice of app is consistent with their stated objectives, priorities, preferences and practices. The different quranic app practices thus all appear meaningful, consistent and legitimate. Based on the analysis, the article calls for further investigation of young people's quranic app practices.


Various clinical features have been prospectively evaluated in 18 infants with congenital hypothyroidism detected by the National Taiwan University Hospital screening program from January 1990 to May 1991. During the same period of time, 24 suspected cases with normal thyroid function at referral were similarly evaluated and used as controls. Among the various clinical features evaluated, there were statistically significant differences between the two groups for the following five items: feeding problems, constipation, dry skin, umbilical hernia and enlarged posterior fontanel. However, these findings were subtle and nonspecific. Even when the neonatal hypothyroid index (Quebec) was used for evaluation, only one-half of these hypothyroid babies had scores of more than two. On the other hand, there was a statistically significant difference in the thyroid function test between the two groups whether it was determined from the filter paper spot or the serum. Our observations clearly demonstrate the difficulty in establishing a diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism on clinical grounds only at an early age of life. This study also emphasizes the importance of biochemical screening in the early detection and treatment of hypothyroid infants.


The fabrication of 250 A thick, undoped, single crystal silicon on insulator by lateral solid phase epitaxial growth from amorphous silicon on oxide patterned (001) silicon substrates is reported. Amorphous silicon was grown by low pressure chemical vapor deposition at 525°C using disilane. Annealing at temperatures between 540 and 570°C is used to accomplish the lateral epitaxial growth. The process makes use of a Si/Si 1-x Ge x /Si stacked structure and selective etching. The thin Si 1-x Ge x etch stop layer (x=0.2) is deposited in the amorphous phase and crystallized simultaneously with the Si layers. The lateral growth distance of the epitaxial region was 2.5 μm from the substrate seed window. This represents a final lateral to vertical aspect ratio of 100:1 for the single crystal silicon over oxide regions after selective etching of the top sacrificial Si layer. The effects of Ge incorporation on the lateral epitaxial growth process are also discussed. The lateral epitaxial growth rate of 20% Ge alloys is enhanced by roughly a factor of three compared to the rate of Si films at an anneal temperature of 555°C. Increased random nucleation rates associated with Ge alloy films are shown to be an important consideration when employing Si 1-x Ge x to enhance lateral growth or as an etch stop layer.


The objectives of this work were to study effects of particle characteristics on the kinetics of the
compression, consolidation and drainage processes. Work has been carried out on a range of
solid/liquid mixtures; in each case the mixture was characterised in respect of its particle size and
shape, the zeta potential associated with the particle and the ionic strength of its solution
environment, and the resulting aggregation of the particulate phase. Expression experiments were
carried out in a specially designed piston press and in a scaled-down version of an industrial
horizontal tube press. Subsidiary experiments included numerous jar sedimentation tests and a
limited number of filtration tests. The data presented highlight the important experimental
parameters and serves to illustrate those factors which should be considered by the process
engineer when selecting/designing separation equipment.


People always carry out social activities within certain geographic space. The geographic boundary likes national boundaries and provincial boundaries functions as dividing policies, distributing administrative resources, defining the scope of application of laws and regulations or even the boundary of cultural region, producing fundamental influence on lifestyle. Network analysis is a powerful tool to abstract complex system. In this article, we used network method to understand changes of cooperation network in movie industry and effect of geographical boundary.


The effects of adenosine and its analogues, 5'-N-ethyl-carboxamidoadenosine (NECA) and 2-chloroadenosine (CAD), were studied on resting membrane potential of bovine coronary artery. The resting membrane potential averaged -51 +/- 1 mV. KCl (50 mM) caused a significant decrease of the resting membrane potential (-30 +/- 1 mV). In separate series of experiments suffusion of the arterial strips with adenosine, NECA, or CAD, at concentrations of 10(-5)M, produced significant increases in resting membrane potential (-68 +/- 1, -80 +/- 2, and -88 +/- 4 mV, respectively). The hyperpolarizing responses to adenosine, NECA, and CAD appeared to have been mediated by an adenosine receptor, since they were blocked by the adenosine receptor antagonist, 8-phenyltheophylline (10(-5) M). The data suggest that activation of an adenosine receptor can result in hyperpolarization of coronary smooth muscle cells.


Leakage current is a serious problem for the use of ferroelectricity in room-temperature multiferroics BiFeO3, and oxygen nonstoichiometry is considered as one of its principal origins. In order to establish a method to control oxygen content in the compound, we investigated the annealing process of stoichiometric BiFeO3 grains in air and revealed that oxygen diffusion occurs in two steps: (1) the weight of the sample decreases in a short time, which originates from the generation of oxygen deficiency near the surface of the grains; and then (2) it increases gradually and slowly, which originates from oxygen diffusion toward equilibrium in the inner part of the grains, introducing excess oxygen there. Step 1 causes the leakage current, and step 2 tends to cause inhomogeneity of oxygen content as well as the leakage current. Steps 1 and 2 are related to oxygen deficiency and excess oxygen often observed in thin films and bulk crystals, respectively. For the synthesis of homogeneous and highly insulating bulk sample, it is important to avoid these annealing processes, and it is a good way to grow a crystal with stoichiometric oxygen content by the control of atmospheric oxygen partial pressure and taking out its inner part.


The asymptotic behaviour of solutions to the Becker-Doring cluster equations is analysed. Decay to equilibria is shown to hold when the kinetic coefficients ar, br are O(r). This improves an earlier result of Ball, Carr and Penrose (1986) where an O(r/ln r) estimate was required. The main tool of the decay argument is a 'relaxed' invariance principle first was exposited by Slemrod (1989).


Plant quantitative traits are often influenced by the environment. While water availality is perhaps the greatest environmental determinant of plant yield and fitness, our understanding of plant-water relations is limited because it is primarily informed by experiments considering soil moisture variability at two discrete levels - wet and dry - rather than as a continually varying environmental gradient. Here we used experimental and statistical methods based on function-valued traits to explore responses to continuously varying soil moisture gradient in physiological and morphological traits in two species and five genotypes each of the model grass Brachypodium. We find that most traits exhibit non-linear responses to soil moisture variability. We also observe differences in the shape of these non-linear responses between traits, species, and genotypes. Emergent phenomena arise from this variation including changes in trait correlations and evolutionary constraints as a function of soil moisture. These results point to the importance of considering non-linearity in plant-water relations to understand plastic and evolutionary responses to changing climates.


For a linear ordinary differential equation the Lie algebra of its infinitesimal Lie symmetries is compared with its differential Galois group. For this purpose an algebraic formulation of Lie symmetries is developed. It turns out that there is no direct relation between the two above objects. In connection with this a new algorithm for computing the Lie symmetries of a linear ordinary differential equation is presented.


Background/Aims: To elucidate the genetic causes of severe primary insulin-like growth factor-I deficiency (SPIGFD) by systematic, targeted, next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based resequencing of growth-related genes. Methods: Clinical phenotyping followed by NGS in 17 families including 6 affected sib pairs. Results: We identified disease-causing, heterozygous, de novo variants in HRAS (p.Gly13Cys) and FAM111A (p.Arg569His) in 2 male patients with syndromic SPIGFD. A previously described homozygous GHR nonsense variant was detected in 2 siblings of a consanguineous family (p.Glu198*). Furthermore, we identified an inherited novel variant in the IGF2 gene (p.Arg156Cys) of a maternally imprinted gene in a less severely affected father and his affected daughter. We detected 2 other novel missense variants in SH2B1 and SOCS2, both were inherited from an unaffected parent. Conclusions: Screening of growth-related genes using NGS-based, large-scale, targeted resequencing identified disease-causing variants in HRAS, FAM111A, and GHR. Considering the increased risk of subjects with HRAS mutations for neoplasms, close clinical monitoring and a thorough discussion of the risk/benefit ratio of the treatment with recombinant IGF-I is mandatory. Segregation analysis proved to be critical in the interpretation of potential SPIGFD-associated gene variations.


This paper proposes two types of RAKE receivers in DS-CDMA mobile radio communication systems. One is the pilot-aided RAKE for forward link and another is the adaptive RAKE for reverse link with no pilot signal. We derive the analytical equations to indicate the performance of each RAKE receiver. By using analytical equations and computer simulation, the performances of the proposed RAKEs are evaluated under fast fading environment in comparison with the ideal coherent detection and the differential detection. As a results, it is found that the both RAKEs realize the performances almost close to the ideal coherent detection.


A 67-year-old man presented at our hospital with suspected right lung cancer with mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy. Although swollen lymph nodes had first been noted 8 years previously, only minimal enlargement had occurred over the intervening period. Video-assisted thoracoscopic biopsy of the pulmonary lesion and the mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes was performed. Final histopathological diagnosis was a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lung staged as TINOM0 and a coexistent localized hyaline-vascular type of Castleman disease. Right upper lobectomy was performed and postoperative histological findings suggested that this was likely to be curative. This is a rare case of coexistence of lung cancer and Castleman disease, illustrating the difficulties in distinguishing lymph node metastasis from other pulmonary diseases. (Jpn J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2005; 53: 286-289)


Hydrilla verticillata has become an important aquatic weed of irrigation canals at some rice farms of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. This species slows water flow, often causing flooding in adjacent roads, its control increases overall production costs. To evaluate efficiency of the grass carp in controlling Hydrilla three trials were conducted, with varying densities of the fish. In the preliminary trial, 987 kg/ha of grass carp reduced Hydrilla biomass in nearly 62 m 3 in 21 days. During the second trial, treatments with 1264 and 2042 kg/ha of the fish completely eliminated the weed after 30 days. However, during the third trial, 1000 kg/ha of the carp only reduced Hydrilla volume in 19 m 3 , after 66 days. The ratio kg of carp/initial volume of Hydrilla proved to be more important than just the kg/ha of the carp. It was observed that when such ratio was lower than 0.02, the carp did not provide a satisfactory control of Hydrilla; on the other hand, a ratio higher than 0.05 significantly reduced the weed's biomass. The equilibrium point between weed regrowth and biomass consumed by the carp occurred at a ratio close to 0.03.


While it is well known that feedback does not increase the capacity of discrete memoryless channels, this note examines a discrete memoryless channel with a cost constraint at the output. When that cost constraint has memory, i.e., depends on several past channel outputs, it is demonstrated that the gap between the feedback and non-feedback capacities can be unbounded. One motivation for such channel output constraints with memory comes from cognitive radio applications in which the constraints depend on how the cognitive radio activity interferes with the primary user.


A key challenge in science and engineering is to design experiments to learn about some unknown quantity of interest. Classical experimental design optimally allocates the experimental budget to maximize a notion of utility (e.g., reduction in uncertainty about the unknown quantity). We consider a rich setting, where the experiments are associated with states in a {\em Markov chain}, and we can only choose them by selecting a {\em policy} controlling the state transitions. This problem captures important applications, from exploration in reinforcement learning to spatial monitoring tasks. We propose an algorithm -- \textsc{markov-design} -- that efficiently selects policies whose measurement allocation \emph{provably converges to the optimal one}. The algorithm is sequential in nature, adapting its choice of policies (experiments) informed by past measurements. In addition to our theoretical analysis, we showcase our framework on applications in ecological surveillance and pharmacology.


Reinforcement learning in continuous action spaces requires mechanisms that allow for exploration of infinite possible actions. One challenging issue in such systems is the amount of exploration appropriate during learning. This issue is complicated further in sharply changing dynamic environments. Reinforcement learning in artificial neural networks with multiparameter distributions can address all aspects of these issues. However, which equations are most appropriate for updating these parameters remains an open question. Here we consider possible equations derived from two sources: The classic equations proposed for REINFORCE and modern equations introduced for Stochastic Synapse Reinforcement Learning (SSRL), as well as combinations thereof and variations thereon. Using a set of multidimensional robot inverse kinematics problems, we find that novel combinations of these equations outperform either set of equations alone in terms of both learning rate and consistency.


This paper is a serious attempt to portray the exploitation and discrimination of women in the patriarchal social systems of the Afghan society and the Indian subcontinent as delineated in the novels of Khalid Hosseini and Arundhati Roy. In both the novels: A Thousand Splendid Suns and The God of Small Things, the women share the common plight of suffering, where the male folk treat them as mere objects and subject them to extreme oppression. The novelists rightfully depict the story of these women, who show signs of resistance and try to thwart the male order but their struggle is overwhelmed by the ideology of the male-dominated social systems.

 Key words: Exploitation, women, patriarchal resistance.


Objectives: This study aims to describe changes in hemodynamics and homeostasis after continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in septic shock children without acute kidney injury. Methods: An observational study was conducted in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Vietnam National Children's Hospital from January 2018 to June 2022. Children aged under 18 years old with septic shock and without acute kidney injury who required CRRT were analyzed on demographic factors, baseline clinical and laboratory results, changes in hemodynamics and homeostasis at 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 4 days and 5 days after CRRT initiation. Results: A total of 125 children (male, 57.6%) were enrolled in the study. The median age was 11.5 months (IQR: 5 – 29). Overall PICU mortality rate at day 28 was 40.8%. Among survivors, there was a statistically significant improvement in heart rate, mean blood pressure, vasoactive inotropic score (VIS), and pH at all mentioned periods after CRRT initiation. Lactatemia statistically significantly decreased after 24 hours of CRRT initiation (p < 0.05). Among non-survivors, there was a statistically significant improvement in heart rate at all the periods and in mean blood pressure at 6 hours and 12 hours, while there was no improvement in VIS, pH, and lactatemia. Conclusion: CRRT played an important role in stabilizing hemodynamics and homeostasis in septic shock children without acute kidney injury.


The field of single-cell analysis has advanced rapidly in the last decade and is providing new insights into the characterization of intercellular genetic heterogeneity and complexity, especially in human cancer. In this regard, analyzing single circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is becoming particularly attractive due to the easy access to CTCs from simple blood samples called "liquid biopsies". Analysis of multiple single CTCs has the potential to allow the identification and characterization of cancer heterogeneity to guide best therapy and predict therapeutic response. However, single-CTC analysis is restricted by the low amounts of DNA in a single cell genome. Whole genome amplification (WGA) techniques have emerged as a key step, enabling single-cell downstream molecular analysis. Here, we provide an overview of recent advances in WGA and their applications in the genetic analysis of single CTCs, along with prospective views towards clinical applications. First, we focus on the technical challenges of isolating and recovering single CTCs and then explore different WGA methodologies and recent developments which have been utilized to amplify single cell genomes for further downstream analysis. Lastly, we list a portfolio of CTC studies which employ WGA and single-cell analysis for genetic heterogeneity and biomarker detection.


This discussion paper resulted in a publication in 'Economics and Human Biology' , 2015, 17, 59-74. Taller individuals typically have occupations with higher social status and higher earnings than shorter individuals. Further, entrepreneurship is associated with high social status in numerous countries; hence, entrepreneurs might be taller than wage workers. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (2002-2010), we find that a 1 cm increase in an individual's height raises the probability of being self-employed (the most common proxy for entrepreneurship) versus paid employed by 0.16 percentage-points. Within self-employment the probability of being an employer is increased by 0.11 percentage-points as a result of a 1 cm increase in height whereas this increase is 0.05 percentage-points for an own-account worker. Furthermore, we confirm that a height premium in earnings exists for not only paid employees, as indicated by prior studies, but also for self-employed individuals. An additional 1 cm in height is associated with a 0.44% increase in hourly earnings for paid employees, and a 0.87% increase for self-employed individuals. The predicted earnings differences between short and tall individuals are substantial. Short paid employees—first quartile of height—earn 15.5 Euros per hour whereas tall paid employees—third quartile of height—earn 16.5 Euros per hour; in self-employment the earnings are 12.8 and 14.4 Euros per hour, respectively. Another novel finding is that we establish the existence of a height premium for work and life satisfaction, but only for paid employees. Finally, our analysis reveals that 44% of the height premium in earnings is explained by differences in educational attainment whereas the height premium in work and life satisfaction is only marginally explained by education.


Background: There exists a treatment dilemma regarding the optimal and effective use of therapeutic drugs (hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine/azithromycin) for COVID-19. Furthermore, with changing guidelines, the data on drug utilization patterns across India are limited. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the prescription pattern and drug utilization trends in COVID-19 patients with the aim to study the drug utilization pattern in patients affected with COVID-19 in a dedicated COVID-19 hospital.

Aims and Objectives: The objectives of the study are as follows: (1) To study drug utilization patterns according to the severity of the disease. (2) To study the prevalence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs).

Materials and Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from 100 medical records of patients ≥18 years irrespective of sex admitted in the COVID ward and ICU of a dedicated COVID hospital from May to August 2020. Pregnant and lactating women were excluded from the study. ADRs reported were also analyzed.

Results: About 71% were mild in this study, 18% were moderate, and 11% were severe COVID-19 patients. Overall, the most common drugs prescribed were multivitamins, followed by pantoprazole, paracetamol, and azithromycin. Hydroxychloroquine was prescribed in 22%, favipiravir in 7%, and remdesivir in 3% of cases. The majority of moderate COVID patients received injectables piperacillin-tazobactam, methylprednisolone, and enoxaparin. The mean number of medications, duration of admission, and number of days on oxygen were higher and significant in moderate compared to mild and severe COVID patients. Overall, ADRs were encountered in 9% of cases.

Conclusion: The prescribed pattern of drugs was by the national standard guidelines. Multivitamins, followed by pantoprazole, paracetamol, and azithromycin dominated the prescription pattern. Polypharmacy was encountered, which needs to be addressed for the rational use of drugs.


Eighty general surgical procedures with general anesthesia were performed upon 73 patients who had undergone previous myocardial revascularization for significant coronary artery disease. No deaths occurred in this group of patients. Cardiac complications occurred in two patients. A silent myocardial infarction occurred in one patient while another required a permanent cardiac pacemaker for complete heart block. Six noncardiac complications developed in four patients. We concluded that patients with significant coronary artery disease who have undergone previous myocardial revascularization can tolerate subsequent general surgical procedures with limited risk.


Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli is the most important cause of acute diarrhea in developing countries, specially in infants under one year of age. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains are able to induce profound cytoskeletal alterations in the enterocyte known as attaching and effacing lesions, associated with the formation of cuplike pedestals. We report an Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O11ab:H2 strain isolated from an infant with acute diarrhea, on the eleventh day of disease, that caused attaching and effacing lesion and penetrated the enterocyte, as well as invaded the HeLa cell tissue culture in vitro and the rabbit ileal loop assay in vivo, in the ultrastructural study. This observation indicates that the severe lesions of the small bowel caused by an enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O111ab:H2 strain can occur even in the early stages of the infection.


Mobile phones can act as a catalyst to rejuvenate the extension services. Recent advancements in the mobile technology are the mobile apps. Mobile apps as an extension services delivery tool could be the most affordable way for farmers to access useful, relevant information. The quality of mobile apps mainly attribute to effective extension service delivery. Thus, present research was formulated to study the quality of mobile apps to improve services to livestock farmers. The study reveals that majority of the respondents were young with basic education, marginal farmers and had medium herd size with medium innovativeness. The quality of the mobile app was good which was measured on different aspects viz. downloading, user interactivity, attraction, holding the interests, visuals and content. There is a need to focus on improving the quality of the mobile apps so that mobile apps could be better utilized in livestock extension system.


This paper describes a multiresolution method for the acquisition of a complete, relatively noise-free, and high-resolution depth map from a low-resolution laser range image and a stereo pair of high resolution intensity images. Depth information from the laser range data is used to constrain the initial search in stereo matching. The inter- and intralevel linkings of edges in the pyramid allow a process where the coarse laser depth information drives a multiresolution stereo-matching process to construct a high-resolution depth map. The motivation for this new approach to multi-sensor integration is to offset the advantages and disadvantages of traditional stereo matching and triangulation range finding approaches. >


The development of labeless and/or reagent-less detection approaches remains a very active research topic in the field of optical and electrochemical biosensors. The perspective of rapid analysis requiring very few sample handling and processing steps coupled to rapid detection would allow cheaper diagnostics and faster sample-to-results turnaround. The use of nanostructured films in biosensing is a versatile tool to develop and satisfy the size requirement for many lab-on-a-chip technologies. To achieve this goal, block copolymer films containing cylindrical gaps were prepared on gold substrates by removing the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) domains from poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) spin coated films via UV degradation and chemical etching with acetic acid, using different approaches to orient nanodomains (thermal and solvent annealing and electric fields). Spin coating conditions were optimised to prepare films 10-20 nm thick, as measured by X-ray reflectometry. The morphology of the films was characterised by non-contact mode atomic force microscopy (AFM), and electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were further used to assess the electrochemical behaviour of the resulting nanostructured electrodes towards the realisation of labeless DNA sensors.


Heat stress in cattle causes millions of dollars of losses each year due to production losses, and
death losses in extreme cases. A study was designed to determine severity of heat stress among four
genotypes of cattle. One-hundred twenty-eight feedlot heifers of four different genotypes were observed
throughout a typical summer. Respiration rates, panting scores, and surface temperatures were taken twice a
day on 10 animals/genotype for several weeks during the summer. Twenty-four hour behavior measurements
were recorded for two heat-stress and two thermoneutral days. Results indicate dark-hided cattle were more
stressed than light-hided cattle. Heat stress more than doubled drinking behavior, increased standing, and
decreased eating, lying, and agonistic behaviors. Overall, it was found that dark-hided cattle with higher
condition scores were more affected by heat stress.


This article represents dual-channel closed system of automatic control to improve the quality of electric power at the output of DC traction substations


Many human activities alter surrounding landforms. In Man, A Geomorphological Agent,, Dov Nir systematically evaluates the role of people as an integral portion of the total geomorphological system. His expressed purpose is to develop the theme of "anthropic geomorphology" and to elucidate its position in the broader field of cultural geography. In this task Nir is generally successful, but the overall usefulness of the resulting book is limited.


Several single components of mining waste (arsenic, manganese, lead, cadmium) to which humans are exposed at the mining area of Villa de la Paz, Mexico, are known to provoke alterations of striatal dopaminergic parameters. In this study we used an animal model to examine neurochemical changes resulting from exposure to a metal mixture. We used microdialysis to compare in vivo dopamine release from adult rats subchronically exposed to a mining waste by oral route with those from a control group and from a sodium arsenite group (25 mg/kg/day). We found that arsenic and manganese do accumulate in rat brain after 2 weeks of oral exposure. The mining waste group showed significantly decreased basal levels of dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC; 66.7 +/- 7.53 pg/ microl) when compared to a control group (113.7 +/- 14.3 pg/ microl). Although basal dopamine release rates were comparable among groups, when the system was challenged with a long-standing depolarization through high-potassium perfusion, animals exposed to mining waste were not able to sustain an increased dopamine release in response to depolarization (mining waste group 5.5 +/- 0.5 pg/ microl versus control group 21.7 +/- 5.8 pg/ microl). Also, DOPAC and homovanillic acid levels were significantly lower in exposed animals than in controls during stimulation with high potassium. The arsenite group showed a similar tendency to that from the mining waste group. In vivo microdialysis provides relevant data about the effects of a chemical mixture. Our results indicate that this mining waste may represent a health risk for the exposed population. ImagesFigure 1Figure 2Figure 3


In a container transport system, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be used for monitoring products while they are being transported. To be commercially interesting, these WSNs must be integrated with enterprise systems of various actors in the supply chain. The need for interoperability between networks and partners, the heterogeneity of WSN technologies being used, and the mobility of sensor nodes make this integration far from trivial. This paper presents lessons learned from a research project in collaboration with industry in which we developed a prototype middleware solution for container transport. The prototype triggered valuable feedback which is highly relevant to consider when designing middleware for realistic sensor applications.


Based on the width of its main sequence, and an actual observed split when viewed through particular filters, it is widely accepted that 47 Tucanae contains multiple stellar populations. In this contribution, we divide the main sequence of 47 Tuc into four color groups, which presumably represent stars of various chemical compositions. The kinematic properties of each of these groups are explored via proper motions, and a strong signal emerges of differing proper-motion anisotropies with differing main-sequence color; the bluest main-sequence stars exhibit the largest proper-motion anisotropy which becomes undetectable for the reddest stars. In addition, the bluest stars are also the most centrally concentrated. A similar analysis for Small Magellanic Cloud stars, which are located in the background of 47 Tuc on our frames, yields none of the anisotropy exhibited by the 47 Tuc stars. We discuss implications of these results for possible formation scenarios of the various populations.


Editor,—Partsch, Aukamp, and Sippell propose that increased testicular temperature in early childhood might affect later spermatogenesis. They suggest that disposable nappies could contribute to this and demonstrate a significant difference between the scrotal skin temperature recorded in infants using disposable nappies and washable cotton nappies. They mention in their introductory paragraph that other environmental factors may be important in the deterioration seen in male reproductive health over recent years, but do not relate any of these factors to disposable nappies.1

There are many concerns about the use of disposable nappies in addition to increasing scrotal temperature that may impact on future fertility and general health. The disposable nappy consists of a plastic outer layer, a layer of superabsorbent chemicals and …


The global concern related with growing number of bacterial pathogens, resistant to numerous antibiotics, prone scientific environment to search for new antimicrobials. Antiseptics appear to be suitable candidates as adjunctive agents to antibiotics or alternative local treatment option aiming to prevent and treat infections. 1,2-benzothiazines are considered one the most promising of them. In this research twenty 1,2-benzothiazine 1,1-dioxide derivatives were scrutinized with regard to their biological activity. Three of them are new. For evaluation of compounds' activity against microbial pathogens, disk diffusion method and serial microdilution method was applied. To establish the cytotoxicity profile of tested 1,2-benzothiazines 1,1-dioxides derivatives, the cytotoxicity assay using fibroblasts L292 was performed. Antimicrobial activity of all tested compounds against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis strains was higher than antimicrobial activity of DMSO solvent, which possesses antimicrobial activity itself. Gram-negative P. aeruginosa, E. coli and K. pneumoniae have shown susceptibility only to compounds 3e, 7i and 7l. None of tested compounds was effective against C. albicans. Compound 6g has demonstrated the strongest antimicrobial potency (MIC = 0.00975 mg/mL) among compounds of series 6. Compounds of series 7, namely 7d, 7f, 7g had the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Compound 7f displayed also the lowest cytotoxic effect against fibroblast cell line among series 7 compounds. All tested derivatives displayed lower MIC against Gram-positive bacteria than commercially applied antiseptic, povidone iodine, which MIC value range for tested Gram-positive bacteria was 1.56–6.25 mg/mL.


In this paper, a kernel machine based method is proposed for short-term load forecasting. This paper makes use of Informative Vector Machine (IVM) of kernel machine to provide better prediction results with short-term load forecasting. The Kernel Machine technique is an extension of Support Vector Machine (SVM) that is very useful for pattern recognition to deal with the regression model with quantitative variables. IVM has advantage that better model is constructed with the use of a limited number of learning data through new information theory. The proposed method is successfully applied to real data of short-term load forecasting in Japan.


The goal of this thesis is to shed light on the elastic properties, especially the Young modulus, of clinker phases and hydration products of cement paste through molecular dynamic simulation by COMPASS force field. The parameters that can affect the elastic properties of cement phases were also targeted, with special attention paid to analog C-S-H minerals, in which the Tobermorite family and Jennite were simulated to render their structures representative of C-S-H structure.

The molecular dynamic simulations of this study show that CO force field can be applicable for most clinker phases and hydration products. Jennite, with its porosity and finite silicate chain accounted for, can be considered the closer and representative structure of C-S-H. In addition, this study confirms the important effect of C/S ratio, packing factor and chain length on elastic properties of C-S-H.


Arecoline, the major alkaloid of areca nut, has been shown to cause strong genotoxicity and is considered a potential carcinogen. However, the detailed mechanism for arecoline‐induced carcinogenesis remains obscure. In this study, we noticed that the levels of p21 and p27 increased in two oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines with high confluence. Furthermore, when treated with arecoline, elevated levels of p21 and p27 could be downregulated through the reactive oxygen species/mTOR complex 1 (ROS/mTORC1) pathway. Although arecoline decreased the activity of mTORC1, the amounts of autophagosome‐like vacuoles or type II LC3 remained unchanged, suggesting that the downregulation of p21 and p27 was independent of autophagy‐mediated protein destruction. Arecoline also caused DNA damage through ROS, indicating that the reduced levels of p21 and p27 might facilitate G 1/S transition of the cell cycle and subsequently lead to error‐prone DNA replication. In conclusion, these data have provided a possible mechanism for arecoline‐induced carcinogenesis in subcytolytic doses in vivo. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 1221–1229)


Quasi-threshold graphs are $\{C_4, P_4\}$-free graphs, i.e., they do not contain any cycle or path of four nodes as an induced subgraph. We study the $\{C_4, P_4\}$-free editing problem, which is the problem of finding a minimum number of edge insertions or deletions to transform an input graph into a quasi-threshold graph. This problem is NP-hard but fixed-parameter tractable (FPT) in the number of edits by using a branch-and-bound algorithm and admits a simple integer linear programming formulation (ILP). Both methods are also applicable to the general $F$-free editing problem for any finite set of graphs $F$. For the FPT algorithm, we introduce a fast heuristic for computing high-quality lower bounds and an improved branching strategy. For the ILP, we engineer several variants of row generation. We evaluate both methods for quasi-threshold editing on a large set of protein similarity graphs. For most instances, our optimizations speed up the FPT algorithm by one to three orders of magnitude. The running time of the ILP, that we solve using Gurobi, becomes only slightly faster. With all optimizations, the FPT algorithm is slightly faster than the ILP, even when listing all solutions. Additionally, we show that for almost all graphs, solutions of the previously proposed quasi-threshold editing heuristic QTM are close to optimal.


A method for gain measurement of embedded on-chip antennas in mmW/THz range is presented. In this method, the radiation pattern is first measured in a quasi-optical configuration using a power detector. Subsequently, the radiated power is estimated from the integration over the radiation pattern. Finally, the antenna gain is obtained from measurement of a two-antenna system. The experimental results of applying this method on an on-chip planar dipole with substrate lens are demonstrated, and verified against simulation. A radiated power of around 40 μW and measured gain of 17 dB are reported at 180 GHz for this antenna structure.


Abstract This article takes the nonlinear differential equation model as an example and uses information technology to create a new course teaching model. The computing software Maple is effectively applied to the precise solution of nonlinear differential equations through the analysis of examples. The overall goal and specific implementation of the teaching plan to integrate ordinary differential equations and information technology have been completed. The study found that the teaching plan proposed in the article is assisted by information technology, with teachers and students participating in an interactive and exploratory teaching method. This method is worthy of further promotion.


The concept that motor disorders of the gallbladder, cystic duct and sphincter of Oddi can cause painful syndromes is attractive and popular, at least in the USA. However, the results of commonly performed ablative treatments (cholecystectomy and sphincterotomy) are not uniformly good. The predictive value of tests that are often used to diagnose dysfunction (dynamic gallbladder scintigraphy and sphincter manometry) is controversial. Evaluation and management of these patients is made difficult by the fluctuating symptoms and the placebo effect of invasive interventions. A recent stringent study has shown that sphincterotomy is no better than sham treatment in patients with post-cholecystectomy pain and little or no objective abnormalities on investigation, so that the old concept of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) type III is discarded. ERCP approaches are no longer appropriate in that context. There is a pressing need for similar prospective studies to provide better guidance for clinicians dealing with these patients. We need to clarify the indications for cholecystectomy in patients with Functional Gallbladder Disorder (FGBD) and the relevance of sphincter dysfunction in patients with some evidence for biliary obstruction (previously SOD type II, now called "Functional Biliary Sphincter Disorder - FBSD") and with idiopathic acute recurrent pancreatitis.


Persons with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) show deficits on executive function measures, although the neuroanatomic basis of executive function in MCI is unknown. We investigated cognitive correlates of 3-tesla proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of the posterior cingulate gyrus in 26 MCI patients. Posterior cingulate ratio of myo-inositol to creatine (mI/Cr) was negatively correlated (−.51) with spontaneous clock drawing. This relationship was not attenuated after accounting for age, overall cognitive function, or memory performance. This finding suggests a role for the posterior cingulate in executive function in MCI. Proton MRS may offer a means to track neurometabolic changes associated with cognitive impairment in MCI.


Adaptive modulation scheme has been widely used in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems to enhance spectral efficiency while maintaining bit-error rate (BER) under a target level. We consider two MIMO schemes, orthogonal space-time block codes (OSTBC) and spatial multiplexing with zero-forcing receiver (SM-ZF), that apply adaptive modulation and derive closed-form expressions of the average spectral efficiency. Based on the closed-form expression of the average spectral efficiency, a low complexity switching method is utilized to gain significant improvement in spectral efficiency over an adaptive modulation system using a single MIMO scheme.


A method of measuring body density is presented which allows much greater precision in calculating the fat content of the human body than the usual methods of under-water weighing. Using this method, body fat was determined for three groups: normal weight, moderately overweight, and obese subjects. In spite of vast amounts of energy stored in the obese patient, no advantages for the pre- or post-surgical phase result. The explanation for this paradoxical situation is seen in two factors: 1. The cardiovascular system is not capable of delivering more energy because mobilisation of fat depends on corresponding oxygen intake. 2. Aside from this, a metabolic limiting factor exists in the mobilisation of protein reserves for the production of glucose, which leads to a considerable protein loss the first few weeks of a period of abstinence. In posttraumatic or post-operative situations, this protein mobilisation is particularly strong, especially when connected with a high metabolic intake. The high nitrogen loss and/or the high metabolic rate, is illustrated on the basis of severe skull and brain traumas. The differences between absolute fasting and a 200kcal-protein formula diet were experimentally investigated. The nitrogen loss under the protein diet was decisively less. An anabolic phase even reappeared after three weeks of the diet. The 200kcal-diet therefore represents a means of pre-operative weight reduction without protein loss. The alterations in body composition are almost exclusively the results of reduction in excess fat. This is demonstrated by means of clinical examples.


Construction delays are one of the biggest issues facing the construction industry. The characteristics of delay factors and their level of impact vary from project to project, ranging from a few days to years. They have significant financial, environmental and social impact in construction projects; therefore, it is vital to investigate the causes of delay and analyse their impact. In this context, the paper was initiated to develop a model for analysing and quantifying the impacts of delay factors on railway construction projects. The system was evaluated using a case study of track doubling project between Chengannur and Mavelikkara. The analysis of case study using Delay Analysis System found that the doubling project might be delayed by 135 months. Also the most sensitive delay factors were identified from the sensitivity report.


Key-words: water temperature, model, statistical, equilibrium concept, stochastic, migrating fishes Stream water temperature is one of the most important parameters for water quality and ecosystem studies. Temperature can influence many chemical and biological processes and therefore impacts on the living conditions and distribution of aquatic ecosystems.Simplified models such as statistical models can be very useful for practitioners and water resource management. The present study assessed two statistical models – an equilibrium-based model and stochastic autoregressive model with exogenous inputs – in modeling daily mean water temperatures in the Garonne River from 1988 to 2005. The equilibrium temperature-based model is an approach where net heat flux at the water surface is expressed as a simpler form than in traditional deterministic models. The stochastic autoregressive model with exogenous inputs consists of decomposing the water temperature time series into a seasonal component and a short-term component (residual component). The seasonal component was modeled by Fourier series and residuals by a second-order autoregressive process (Markov chain) with use of short-term air temperatures as exogenous input. The models were calibrated using data of the first half of the period 1988–2005 and validated on the second half. Calibration of the models was done using temperatures above 20 ◦ Co nly to ensure better prediction of high temperatures that are currently at stake for the aquatic conditions of the Garonne River, and particularly for freshwater migrating fishes such as Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.). The results obtained for both approaches indicated that both models performed well with an average root mean square error for observed temperatures above 20 ◦ C that varied on an annual basis from 0.55 ◦ Ct o 1.72 ◦ C on validation, and good predictions of temporal occurrences and durations of three temperature threshold crossings linked to the conditions of migration and survival of Atlantic Salmon.


The destructive impact of antropic activities can no longer be ignored and all the human activities – from industry to domestic household must impose a friendly behavior in relation to the environment. The environmental protection is an esential part of the enlarged reproduction and modern economic growth, aiming to ensure the dinamic ecological equilibrium, preserving and improving the quality of natural factors, the development of country's natural riches, ensuring better conditions of life and work for present and future generations. Thus, the whole activity for environmental protection in all of its components has a productive beeing creative of net income and value. On the long term, the achievement of dynamic economic equilibrium is illusory, without observing and respecting of ecological balance, the economic imbalances will cannot be resolved on the basis of creating some ecological imbalances, because these latter generate huge economic damage, a to which we can add a series of consequences, most often unpredictable.


Abstract This article presents preliminary findings on an investigation into the differences in communicative performance across varying speaking conditions, of an individual with a cognitive–linguistic impairment following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The article compares the communicative exchanges of an individual in a conversation with a therapist, a conversational dyad with a peer with TBI, and in a communication group task where they were interacting with other participants with TBI. The speaking conditions studied included an unstructured chat, the participant requesting information and the participant giving information. Results showed that the person with TBI responded to differences in communication partner and speaker role. He was best able to give information in the unstructured chat with the clinician and the information giving session in the group. Requesting was maximally facilitated in the information request condition with the clinician. Qualitatively, however, the most equal interactions occurred with the peer, with evidence of the person with TBI engaging in typical conversational strategies such as establishing common ground to facilitate topic development and co-constructing the discourse topics. These strategies did not occur in the clinician or group interactions, possibly due to power imbalance in the former and impaired cognitive–linguistic ability in the latter situation. Implications for clinical decision making regarding intervention strategies for patients with cognitive–communication deficits are discussed.


Objective Clinical experience with endocardial cryoablation for the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation has demonstrated safety and efficacy. Direct access to the left atrium via a thoracoscopic or pericardial approach with a balloon-tipped cryoablation catheter might facilitate endocardial cryoablation on the beating heart. We investigated the ability of a novel cryoballoon to produce endocardial pulmonary vein ostial cryolesions on the beating heart in a large-animal model. Methods Six sheep underwent small left thoracotomy. A 10.5F catheter with a 23-mm cryoballoon was inserted directly into the left atrium under fluoroscopic and intracardiac echo (ICE) guidance. Cryoablation of the pulmonary vein ostia was performed. Animals were killed at 14 days. Pulmonary venous electrical isolation was assessed immediately before the animals were killed. Results All animals survived balloon cryoablation with no periprocedural complications. Balloon occlusion was well tolerated hemodynamically, with minimal change in blood pressure (–4 ± 6 mm Hg systolic BP) and no change in heart rate. ICE demonstrated an absence of intracardiac air or ice embolization during ablation. Mean balloon temperature was −67 ± 8°C. All animals were neurologically intact after the procedure. Five of 6 (83%) veins exhibited circumferential exit block. Phrenic nerve function was intact in all animals. On gross inspection, all lesions were circumferential and continuous without evidence of endocardial thrombus. Pathology confirmed circumferential transmurality in all treated veins. Conclusions Direct left atrial access cryoballoon ablation was effective for isolating pulmonary veins. This technology may be an important component of a minimally invasive beating heart CryoMaze procedure for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.