We demonstrate that a speckle pattern in the spatially coherent laser field transmitted by a diffuser forms a multitude of three-dimensional bottle-shaped micro-traps. These multiple traps serve as a means for an effective trapping of large number of air-born absorbing particles. Confinement of up to a few thousand particles in air with a single beam has been achieved. The ability to capture light-absorbing particles suspended in gases by optical means opens up rich and diverse practical opportunities, including development of photonic shielding/fencing for environmental protection in nanotechnology industry and new methods of touch-free air transport of particles and small containers, which may hold dangerous substances, or viruses and living cells.


Reducing the energy used in Cloud Computing is an important issue a sustainable society. There are many existing approaches for reducing energy use in data centers, but new approaches are needed in case of energy management of Cloud Computing. Cloud Computing involves decentralized data centers, so new flexible way for collecting energy consumption data becomes quite important. Many current approaches focus on reducing energy consumption by air handling equipment, however energy from IT resources also need to be optimized for a total energy management of Cloud Computing. For advanced energy management for Cloud Computing, we developed a Cloud energy management system with sensor management functions, with an optimized VM allocation tool to minimize energy consumption at multiple data centers. Our evaluations showed more than a 30% energy savings for the servers in our experimental environment. Our system can be extended to optimize energy usage from various perspectives, such as for minimizing electricity bills or carbon emissions.


The flaw in the theory put forward by Dr. Gregory Mayne (Journal, August, 1967, p. 923), and others who suggest that there is an endocrine basis for homosexuality, lies in the fact that, as I can say from experience, only about 5 per cent. of homosexuals have physically any signs of endocrine lack. These show eunuchoidism, as evidenced by feminine hair distribution, fine type of skin, poor development of the genitalia, etc. However, one encounters eunuchoid patients who resemble these physically yet are hetero sexually inclined. Are we to believe that something like 95 per cent. of homosexuals are affected psychologically by some anti-testerone or anti-androsterone without any effect on their physique ? This seems hard to believe. Again, how does Dr. Mayne explain that some cases ofhomosexuality are curable by psychotherapy? Can one, by adequate psychological treatment, reverse the damage done at "¿ the Critical period― by incorrect hormone levels? Itis easy to explain the appearance of homosexuality in the youngest of a series of sons. This child is frequently the apple of the mother's eye and she conditions him to behave in a feminine manner (as I have explained in my Textbookof PsychosexualDis orders). Again, the male appearing in a series pre viously containing only females is subjected to an excessive feminine influence and receives similar conditioning. I would not suggest that lack of hormone in the adult has no effect, since the endocrines act, as it were, like the petrol in the tank, to provide a driving force. The direction taken (whether homosexual or hetero sexual) depends on the psyche.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed at a psychometric analysis of the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills (FIS) performance test, a test of therapist relational skills that has repeatedly been found to predict psychotherapy outcome. We investigated the reliability, unidimensionality, and convergent validity of a German language version and psychometrics relevant for repeated and short assessments.

METHOD
Thirty-nine trainee therapists took the FIS performance test and responded to self-report scales.

RESULTS
Inter-rater agreement and internal consistency were high. The findings suggest that the FIS is a unidimensional scale. Correlations between the FIS and self-reported social skills, interpersonal problems, and working involvement were absent to low. FIS performance was independent from specific video stimuli and there was no indication of temporal effects.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that the FIS is robust and ready to be used in repeated assessments and in short form. Further conceptual clarification of the FIS is needed.


The possibility of oil-field subsidence is an important environmental consideration in both urban and rural areas. Current policies of various agencies require a subsidence-susceptibility appraisal prior to drilling operations. A hostile environment for oil-field operations can mean the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara areas as well as north of the Arctic Circle. Estimations of subsidence susceptibility are divided into two basic methods--the comparative-empirical and the analytic. The comparative-empirical method is considered best when undeveloped areas are examined. In this method, the geologic history, structure, and competency, of the area are compared with known subsiding areas. In the analytic method, core compressibility data, estimated stress changes, and sometimes, structural configuration, are applied mathematically to the estimation of reservoir compaction and subsidence. Many of the necessary data are not available until field development is well under way. Some combination of these methods should be used wherever possible. Monitoring techniques include precision leveling, horizontal movement measurement, in-zone compaction measurements by collar logging, mechanical extensometers for shallow zones, tide gages, and special seismograph installations. Operational monitoring of casing derangements might also be important to locate compacting intervals. Application of these and other techniques pertaining to the geologic aspects of environment will be increasingly important in the future. End_of_Article - Last_Page 766------------


We have initiated animal experiments using three-dimensional reconstruction of echocardiographic recordings and finite element analysis to evaluate the effects of alterations in preload, afterload and contractility on diastolic function. With the use of implantable echogenic teflon beads, we are also evaluating the effects of cardiac translation and rotation on the three-dimensional reconstruction and finite element analysis model. Whilst evaluating these changes, we have collected data on eleven normal subjects and will be using three-dimensional reconstruction and finite element analysis to predict the normal range of diastolic elastic myocardial properties. With the identification of these parameters (preload, afterload, contractility, translation and rotation, and normal human elastic properties), we can proceed to evaluate alterations in passive myocardial elastic properties in patients with acute ischemia, infarction, and chronic infarction with fibrosis. The ultimate goal of these studies is to develop a clinically useful model that will allow evaluation of regional ventricular function and changes in regional ventricular function due to pathologic states.


Most grid optimization methods for the boundary element method are based on a postieri error indicators and error estimators. The error indicators are a local estimate of error within each boundary element. The error estimator provides a global bound on the error and is calculated from the error indicators. Typically, a problem is run on a coarse grid and the local error indicators are calculated within each element. Based on the error indicators, a threshold value for the error indicators is selected. In an adaptive grid optimization method, those elements whose error indicators are above the threshold value are either subdivided in the h-method approach or enriched by increasing the order of the polynomial approximation within the element in the p-method approach. The problem is then resolved on the finer mesh. One problem with these approaches is choosing the threshold error tolerance. If this value is too high, then very few degrees of freedom are added at each stage of the mesh refinement. If the value is too low, then the method becomes less adaptive. We discuss in this paper a two-step grid optimization approach which does not require the selection of a threshold error tolerance. In this method, the problem is run on a coarse mesh to determine the error indicators. Based solely on these error indicators, the remaining degrees of freedom are incorporated into the discretization. This two-step grid optimization procedure is compared to the more traditional approaches based on selecting a threshold error tolerance.


Recently, scholars have acknowledged the importance of exploring factors affecting R&D employees' innovative behaviors in high-technology firms. In addition to the employee's individual differences, an organization's contextual factors serve as the moderators in facilitating the research and development (R&D) employee's innovative behaviors. This survey-based research investigates the influence of HRM (incentive pay system and training) and managerial coaching on the relationships between the R&D employee's characteristics (intrinsic motivation and prior work experience) and the innovative behaviors. A total of 127 R&D employees formed the research sample along with 23 R&D managers who evaluated their employees' innovative behaviors. The results indicate that intrinsic motivation and prior work experience correlate significantly with innovative behaviors. Both HRM (incentive pay system and training) and managerial coaching positively moderates the relationships between employee characteristics and innovative behaviors. Implications for HRM practice and suggestions for future research are discussed.


The Argument This paper is concerned with "holism" as a German cultural "style" of doing psychobiology in Central Europe between the two world wars. The paper takes its starting point from a critical analysis of Forman's writings on nationalism versus internationalism in interwar German science, and the alleged "accommodation" of interwar German physics to an antiscientific, irrationalist culture. The paper argues that psychobiological holism was not just a reaction against nineteenth-century atomistic or mechanistic approaches to modeling life and mind; it also represented a domestically directed answer from within the German biomedical scientific community to broad religious and cultural "disenchantment." As such, holistic psychobiology emerges as a phenomenon that challenges us with at least four levels of discourse: (1) experimental/clinical, (2) epistemological/philosophical, (3) existential/religious, and (4) ideological/political. The paper defends the methodological appropriateness of a collective case-study approach to the problem of holism as a multilevel discourse. It concludes by offering a preliminary contextualized analysis of the thought of three representative holistic leaders of the time: behavioral biologist and ethologist Jakob von Uexküll; clinical neurologist Constantin von Monakow; and neuropsychiatrist Kurt Goldstein.


Professional experience is viewed as integral to shaping philosophy and acquiring skills in the area of classroom teaching. Classrooms are complex places, with educators implementing differentiated strategies to cater for student diversity. Pre-service teachers who observe these lessons often miss the intuitive practices, as there is much to absorb during a typical observation session. Equipping them with a checklist enhances this experience, giving them intentional guidelines with regard to observation. The current study, utilized a qualitative approach, to gain an understanding of specific dynamics that impact on a pre-service teacher's professional experience. The intersection of data and the literature led to the creation of a checklist for use by beginning and pre-service teachers. The checklist may be used by teacher educators as an instrument to assist with the preparation of teachers, as it could help with honing in on key elements of observation of classroom practice and differentiated strategies.


Drawing upon a conception of the metaphysics of conscious states and of first-person content, we can argue that Descartes's transition 'Cogito ergo sum' is both sound and one he is entitled to make. We can nevertheless formulate a version of Lichtenberg's objection that can still be raised after Bernard Williams's discussion. I argue that this form of Lichtenberg's revenge can also be undermined. In doing so it helps to compare the metaphysics of subjects, worlds and times. The arguments also apply to Descartes's 'second Cogito', that it is one and the same subject that thinks, wills, imagines.


This study investigated whether reported amounts of money spent on gambling - when calculated retrospectively on a monthly basis - differ from the amounts recorded on a daily basis. Participants were required to retrospectively report monthly gambling expenditure and also complete a "daily gambling expenditure chart" for 4 weeks. Fifty participants responded to a media call for volunteers and completed the data collection. Results indicate that retrospective estimates of a previous month's expenditures tend to be lower than daily self-reported expenditures. Further, results show that an often-used, conventional self-report gambling question tends to over-estimate expenditures in comparison with calculations using a net expenditure strategy. The findings indicate important biases when reporting gambling losses, thus casting doubt on the validity of estimated gambling expenditures. The implications of these results suggest possible inconsistencies in gambling literature based on players' estimates of previous gambling expenditures.


The use of miniature inertial sensors has become a common practice in ambulatory motion analysis. For accurate and drift free orientation estimation several methods have been reported combining the signals from 3D gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers. Accelerometers are used to determine the direction of the local vertical by sensing acceleration due to gravity. Magnetic sensors provide stability in the horizontal plane by sensing the direction of the earth magnetic field like a compass. Data from these complementary sensors can be used to eliminate drift by continuous correction of the orientation obtained by integrating rate sensor data [1].


A prolactin receptor was purified from a solubilized preparation of mouse microsomal membranes by affinity chromatography. The receptors were solubilized with the detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate)(Chaps) a zwitterionic derivative of cholic acid. The affinity gel was prepared by coupling ovine prolactin to CH-Sepharose 4B. After extensive elution of the nonspecifically adsorbed proteins, the receptors were eluted with 4 M urea/1 M NaCl/0.5% Chaps followed by 5 M MgCl2/0.5% Chaps. The eluted receptor appeared on NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gels as a single major band of Mr 37,000. The purified receptor retained its specificity for lactogenic hormones and binds 125I-labeled ovine prolactin with a Ka of 2-6 X 10(9) M-1.


Abstract Objective Patients with suspected placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorder are often referred to specialized medical centers for antepartum management and definitive treatment via cesarean hysterectomy. In 2019, our institution formed the only multidisciplinary team for the management of PAS within two of the largest counties in California. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the multidisciplinary team on patient volume and surgical outcomes for patients with PAS. Methods This was a single center retrospective cohort study, based in the only tertiary referral center within two of the largest counties in California. Patients who underwent cesarean hysterectomy for suspected PAS from January 2014 to April 2021 were included and divided into two groups, based on management by the multidisciplinary team from January 2019 and onward or routine care prior to that time. The outcomes of interest were quantitative blood loss, total units of packed red blood cell transfusion, referral volume, and diagnostic accuracy as well as ICU admission, bladder injury, and postoperative length of stay. Furthermore, we wanted to determine if patient's distance to the hospital impacted outcomes. Normally distributed variables were compared between groups using the t-test. Categorical variables were compared between the two groups using the chi square test. Results A total of 114 patients were included in the cohort, 59 patients were from January 2014 to December 2018 and 55 patients were from January 2019 to April 2021. Since the establishment of the multidisciplinary center, there was a 2.5-fold increase in the total patient volume (0.8 case/month to 2 cases/month) and a 2.8-fold increase in the referred patient volume. Patients undergoing cesarean hysterectomy since the establishment of the multidisciplinary team had less quantitative blood loss (1500 mL vs 2000 mL, p = .005) and required less units of packed red blood cell transfusion (2 vs 4 units, p < .001). In addition, blood loss of ≥2000 mL decreased from 57.6% to 38.2% (p = .04) and diagnostic accuracy improved from 35.6% to 83.6% (p < .001). Furthermore, we found that patient distance to the hospital did not significantly impact surgical outcomes. Conclusions Since the establishment of the multidisciplinary team, our center experienced an increase in PAS volume and was able to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in patient outcomes.


This study measures the impact of restaurant franchise brand equity and brand value on consumer loyalty and customer satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between variables based on previous studies. The survey for this present study was conducted from consumers who visited in a franchise restaurant within three months. in Seoul and the metropolitan area. Research revealed that brand equity and value of the franchise restaurant appeared to have a positive impact on customer loyalty, and then consumer loyalty exhibiting a positive impact on consumer satisfaction. In addition, brand equity and value of the franchise restaurant showed a positive impact on customer loyalty.


An infrared (IR) scene generation chip based on multi-layer thin film was demonstrated. Infrared radiation was efficiently converted from visible light energy through chip absorption. We proposed that the contradictive material parameter requirements aroused by high-spatial resolution and high-frame rate of the dynamic IR scene generator could be successfully solved by a periodical microstructure fabrication. The theoretical simulation results based on a semi-one-dimensional heat transfer model illustrated that the spatial resolution of the generated IR scene was improved using a microstructure with a low contact area ratio and high fill factor, while the thermal decay time of the chip was kept unaffected. Two infrared scene generation chips with different microstructures were fabricated by lithography and site-selective deposition. Measured by non-contact thermography, the chip with low microstructure contact area ratio (0.17) showed a higher spatial resolution (13.2 lp/mm) than that with high microstructure contact area ratio of 0.46 (8.0 lp/mm). Moreover, both chips had the same thermal decay time of 20 ms. The experimental results indicated that the proposed method is an effective and economic way to improve the performance of infrared scene generation chips.


The article deals with the author's conceptual approach to the multiple scientific concepts of both traditional and universal banking service moreover it shows the level of transformation of the latter to the model of the finance supermarket – the top of the modern retail banking, a structure that was formed due to globalization of the finance-credit industry. The article analyses the category of "finance supermarket" and brings out a common idea considering the main features of the mentioned organization model of banking service. The main features include: 1. Complex banking service satisfying the customers` needs; 2. The Bundling of banking and financial products (services); 3. Product line extension, standardization and large scale character of sale; 4. Remote banking. Bundling of the products (services) introduced in this model allows the maximal integration of the finance services, operations and products including banking, consulting, insurance, investment services at the same office. Analysis of the scientific literature shows that the organization structure of the servicing in a Ukrainian universal bank mostly associates the model of a finance supermarket. However, current restrictions of the Ukrainian legal system and the existence of the certain transition level, caused by gradual application of the innovations of both financial and technological origin (evolutionary-innovative development) are not taken into account. Looking from this angle, the author describes a transition model – from a universal bank to a financial supermarket, a universal banking supermarket. The model`s distinctive feature is the application of the improved technological service, that induced the transformation of modern banking operations, services and products in Ukraine from simplest to complex.Journal: The USV Annals of Economics and Public Administration


This study compares single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP)/sequencing and immunohistochemistry (IHC) in a population-based colon cancer study to determine the best methods to evaluate p 53 alterations in tumors. Epidemiologic data collected from the Utah portion of a multicenter case–control study of colon cancer (n = 268) was used to compare somatic p53 mutations detected using SSCP/sequencing of exons 5 through 8 with those with p53 protein overexpression detected by IHC. A total of 136 tumors (51%) had p 53 mutations identified using SSCP/sequencing. IHC detected 164 tumors (61%) with protein overexpression (using a cut point of ≥20% positive cells) and 142 tumors (53%) when ≥50% positive cells were used. Sensitivity of IHC (≥20% level) using SSCP/sequencing as the reference method was 85%. Specificity of IHC (≥20% level) using SSCP/sequencing as reference was 63%. When ≥50% positive cells were used, specificity increased to 77%. Associations with age, gender, tumor site, stage, and Ki-ras were similar for both methods. An inverse relationship between microsatellite instability and p 53 was detected with the higher threshold for IHC positivity and SSCP/sequencing. SSCP/sequencing was able to discriminate between mutated p 53 and wild-type p 53 when evaluating dietary associations whereas IHC was not able to discriminate between these tumor types. Using a level of 50% or more positive cells increases specificity relative to sensitivity in comparison with lower staining levels, and is comparable with sequencing in its ability to detect an inverse relationship with the MSI. Advantages gained by sequencing are its ability to examine specific mutations and the improved ability to discriminate between cases with p 53 mutation and wild type when evaluating associations.


This research work presents the methodology, development, application and results of a methodological proposal for the elaboration of a checklist assessment procedure that accurately measures specialized academic vocabulary identification. Two corpora were made for the specific purposes of this research, one on Food Science and the other one on Odontology. For each one of these areas a first items selection was made by using several corpus analysis tools. Then, a series of highly frequent prefixes of each area was combined with also highly frequent word roots to create non-words. Next, a group of experts in each field was asked to confirm the final selection of items. Finally, two checklists, one for Food Science and one for Odontology were made. The final checklists included 200 words divided in 160 real words and 40 non-words each. The participants were a group of 40 high school students, a group of 157 undergraduates of Food Science and a final group of 93 students of Odontology at two different universities, one public and one private in Queretaro, Mexico. The results revealed that the number of words the participants knew increased according to the number of semesters they had studied in their study programs and were significantly different among semesters. These findings demonstrate the viability and effectiveness of using this type of checklist as a means of assessing the development of specialized academic vocabulary knowledge.


Laser induced fluorescence (LIF) has been employed to study NO, O, N, Fe species present in the expanded stream of N2/NO and O2/NO plasma jets. The gas is excited in a coaxial RF capacitive discharge and expands through a de Laval nozzle, with a pressure ratio P1/P2 in the range 20–40, into a vessel at P2 in the range 0.1–0.5 Torr. Supersonic multiple expansion–compression waves are observed. NO from gas mixture, and Fe produced by sputtering of the RF electrode, have been examined as possible tracers of the plasma jet expansion flow fields. The NO rotational temperature and density have been measured by LIF. NO and Fe are reliable tracers, but the NO dissociation limits its use to only low power plasma jets. The absolute density of O and N atoms achieved by TALIF is about 20% and 1.5% for 500 W O2 and N2 plasma jets, respectively. The TALIF calibration is carried out in situ. The procedures for O and N atoms are discussed.


Greenhouse gas emission has been a serious problem for decades. Due to the high energy consumption of traditional construction and building materials, recycled aggregate and other environmentally-friendly materials or recycled materials have been researched and applied. The treatment and reuse of construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a good way to reasonably distribute the renewable resources in the urban city. The recycled aggregate can be used in road engineering, geotechnical engineering and structural engineering. The combined use of natural aggregate and recycled aggregate may possess better performance in real constructions. This paper investigates the mechanical performance, micro-mechanism and CO2 footprint assessment of NAM (natural aggregate mortar) and RAM (recycled aggregate mortar). Compressive strength test, flexural strength test, XRD and SEM, and CO2 emission evaluation were conducted and analyzed. The results indicate that NAM depicts better compressive strength performance and RAM has higher flexural strength. The XRD and SEM patterns illustrate that the ettringite and C-S-H are the most important role in shrinkage-compensating mechanism, which is more obvious in RAM specimens. The proportion of CaO and MgO hydrated into Ca(OH)2 and Mg(OH)2 is also a key point of the volume expansion through the curing period. Finally, the CO2 emission of NA is higher than RA per unit. This indicates that utilizing recycled aggregate over other conventional resources will reduce the energy consumption, and hit the mark to be environmental-friendly.


. The Mediterranean Basin is one of the regions most affected by climate change. It is highly dependent on the impact of climate change on agricultural efficiency and food security. While rising temperatures and decreasing precipitation levels already impose great risks, the effects of compounding extreme events (CEEs) can be significantly more severe and amplify the risk. It is therefore of high importance to assess these risks under climate change on a regional level to implement efficient adaption strategies. This study focuses on False Spring Events (FSEs), which impose a high risk of crop losses during the 5 beginning of the vegetation growing period, as well as Heat and Drought-based CEEs (HDCEs) in summer, for a high-impact future scenario (RCP8.5). The results for 2070-2099 are compared to 1970-1999. In addition, deviations of the near-surface atmospheric state under FSEs and HDCEs are investigated with the aim to improve the predictability of these events. We apply a multivariate, trend-conserving bias correction method (MBCn) accounting for temporal coherency between the inspected variables derived from EUR-CORDEX. This method proves to be a suitable choice for the assessment of percentile threshold-10 based CEEs. The results show a potential increase in frequency of FSEs for large portions of the study domain, especially impacting later stages of the warming period, caused by disproportionate changes in the behavior of warm phases and frost events. Frost events causing FSEs predominantly occur under high-pressure conditions and northerly to easterly wind flow. HDCEs are projected to significantly increase in frequency, intensity, and duration, mostly driven by dry, continental air masses. This intensification is multiple times higher than that of the univariate components. This study improves the understanding 15 of the unfolding of climate change in the Mediterranean and shows the need for further, locally refined, investigations and adaptation strategies.


Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a peptide of 21 amino acid residues, is the most potent vasoconstrictor substance known and now it is understood to be one of a family of three mammalian vasoactive peptides that also includes ET-2 and ET-3. The endothelins (ETs) affect multiple organ systems and seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases such as hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, atherosclerosis, apoptosis inhibition and angiogenesis. The ETs exert their effects via activation of two distinct G-protein coupled receptor subtypes termed ET(A) and ET(B). To date a number of ET receptor ligands with good affinity and selectivity is known, nevertheless these compounds belong only to few chemical classes. The aim of this work was the identification of a "hit compound" with novel chemical structure, endowed with reasonable ET affinity and selectivity. Accordingly, a new class of (E)-alpha-[(1H-indol-3-yl)methylene]benzeneacetic acid derivatives (1-23) was synthesized for evaluation of their binding profiles.


Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic that has created a global health crisis and upended conventional methodologies, both in the governance and clinical structures of Health Care Systems. The spread of COVID-19 has necessitated a coordinated public health response in an effective, extensive and expedited vaccination rollout strategy with the ultimate aim of limiting all nidi of infection for the pathogen. For this goal to be realised, pregnant women, as a cohort, cannot reasonably be excluded from this initiative, despite the initial reluctance to include them in clinical trials for various ethical and legal reasons. Weighing the detrimental complications of COVID-19 on maternal and perinatal outcomes against the hypothetical risk of vaccination in the context of promising, albeit indirect, safety and efficacy data, this report argues that all pregnant women should be offered the choice of whether or not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine based on the available evidence and their individualised risk-benefit ratio.


Individuals match on length and type of education. We find that around half of the systematic sorting on education is explained by the tendency of individuals to marry someone who went to the same educational institution or to an institution near them. This may be due to low search frictions or selection of people with the same preferences into the same institutions. The residual half of the systematic sorting on education is a direct effect of partners ' education, which is potentially explained by complementarities in household production in couples with same education.


Locking devices are widely used in robotics, for instance to lock springs and joints or to reconfigure robots. This review article classifies the locking devices currently described in the literature and performs a comparative study. Designers can therefore better determine which locking device best matches the needs of their application. The locking devices are divided into three main categories based on different locking principles: 1) mechanical locking, 2) friction-based locking, and 3) singularity locking. Different locking devices in each category can be passive or active. Based on an extensive literature survey, this article summarizes the findings by comparing different locking devices on a set of properties of an ideal locking device.


The purpose of the Bank for International Settlements regulatory agenda, as implemented by financial regulators globally, has been to make banks safer and reduce the likelihood of systemic events. Using an original model of bank profit maximisation under a regulatory constraint, we statistically examine how market risk exposure has interacted with financial performance and capital structure, to see if the Basel regulatory agenda concerning the quantity, quality and liquidity of capital, has prompted changes in banking behaviour as measured by exposure to market risk. Breaking new ground, we empirically explore how the regulatory agenda has affected the largest banks. We analyse if the regulatory agenda has succeeded in aligning the cost of capital with their exposure to market risk, measured by Value at Risk; or if regulations have induced changes to banking activities. We find rather than regulation inducing changes to the rate at which unchanged risk exposure is capitalised; it leads to changes in the nature of exposures. Risk has declined along with financial performance while the cost of capital is largely unchanged. A consequence of regulation may be to encourage the migration of riskier activities to organisations where it may be borne more cheaply.


In this paper a performance-based method for the design of granular-paste mixtures will be proposed. Focus will be on the selection and proportioning of constituents to produce a mixture with a pre-defined shape holding ability. Shape holding ability of mixtures will be characterized by the shape preservation factor SPF. This SPF shows the ability of a mixture to preserve its shape after being demolded from a slump test. SPF is the ratio of the cross sectional area of a sample after and before demolding. By increasing the flowability of a mixture, the SPF decreases. In this study a mixture is first decomposed into aggregate, void paste and excess paste. Then a combination of the consistency of the paste and excess paste volume is determined for a required SPF. Finally, depending on the aggregate grading, the volumes of paste and aggregates in the system are determined.


The authors describe three female-patients with mesangial IgA-glomerulonephritis with non-typical clinical manifestations and course. Manifest nephrotic syndrome was established in one of them, favourably influenced by glucocorticosteroid treatment, and advanced renal insufficiency--in the other two.


Background: There are insufficient studies on the association between fruit intake and the risk of diabetes mellitus among non-diabetic subjects; however, some previous studies have reported a lower frequency of diabetes in subjects with high fruit intake. In this study, we investigated the relationship between impaired fasting glucose (pre-diabetes mellitus; a high-risk group for developing diabetes; HbA1c level, 5.7%–6.4%) and the frequency of fruit intake in Korean adults. Methods: We included 3,674 adult participants (>30 years old; 1,467 men, 2,207 women) who were a part of the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2011. The participants were categorized into four groups based on the frequency of their fruit intake: daily group, more than once per week group, more than once per month group, and less than six times per year group. We compared the risk of pre-diabetes mellitus in these four fruit intake-based groups. Results: We observed a significantly lower risk of impaired fasting glucose in women who consumed fruits daily compared to women who consumed fruits less than six times per year (odds ratio, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.129–0.893). However, in men, we did not observe any significant association between impaired fasting glucose and fruit intake. Conclusion: Impaired fasting glucose is less frequent with daily fruit intake, indicating a lower risk of pre-diabetes mellitus; however, this association is only observed in adult Korean women.


Introduction: The BET bromodomain proteins, including BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4, have emerged as major epigenetic regulators of proliferation and differentiation and also have been associated with predisposition to dyslipidemia or improper regulation of adipogenesis, elevated inflammatory profile, and increased susceptibility to autoimmune disease. OTX015, a novel thienotriazolodiazepine compound, was identified in a cell-based screen for inhibitors of cell adhesion. Subsequently, it was evaluated for inhibition of the binding between acetylated histone and BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4 and antiproliferative effects in both in vitro and in vivo tumor models.

Material and Methods: To assess binding of OTX015 to BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4, BRD-expressing CHO cell lysate (from CHO cells transfected with expression plasmids for Flag-tagged BRD2, BRD3, or BRD4 or vector alone), europium-conjugated anti-Flag antibody, XL-665-conjugated streptavidin, and biotinylated OTX015 were incubated at room temperature for 0.2 to 2h. Fluorescence was measured by TR-FRET using an EnVision 2103 Multilabel Reader and EC50 for binding was calculated by nonlinear regression using PRISM version 5.02. Using a similar system, the effect of OTX015 on binding of BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4 to acetylated histone H4 (AcH4) was evaluated by incubating biotin-conjugated -AcH4, BRD-expressing CHO cell lysate, europium-conjugated anti-Flag antibody, and XL-665-conjugated streptavidin. Fluorescence was measured by TR-FRET using an EnVision 2103 Multilabel Reader and percent binding was calculated by defining the value of the sample without biotin conjugate dAcH4 as 0% and the sample without OTX015 as 100%. The IC50 value was calculated by nonlinear regression using PRISM version 5.02. Effects of OTX015 on cancer cell proliferation were evaluated by incubating human tumor cells for 72 h with increasing concentrations of OTX015 and assessing proliferation using a tetrazolium salt (WST-8)-based colorimetric assay. To assess antiproliferative effects in vivo, BLAB/c-nu/nu mice bearing established Ty82 BRD-NUT midline carcinoma xenografts were given OTX015 (0, 10, 30 or 100 mg/kg qd or 10 mg/kg bid) by oral gavage over 14 days. Animals were sacrificed on day 15 and tumors were extracted and weighed.

Results: OTX015 was a potent inhibitor of BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4, with EC50 values from 10 to 19 nM. Binding of OTX015 to BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4 was inhibited by addition of OTX015 in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting competitive inhibition. OTX015 inhibited the binding of BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4 to AcH4, with IC50 values from 92 to 112 nM. OTX015 inhibited the growth of a variety of human cancer cell lines; for most hematologic malignancies tested, GI50 values ranged from 60 to 200 nM. Oral administration of OTX015 significantly inhibited the growth of Ty82 BRD-NUT midline carcinoma tumors in nude mice, showing 79% TGI at 100 mg/kg qd and 61% TGI at 10 mg/kg bid.

Conclusions: OTX015 is a potent inhibitor of BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4 and inhibits the binding of BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4 to AcH4. OTX015 showed significant anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo tumor models. These findings encouraged the clinical development of OTX015, which is currently in Phase 1 studies in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier [NCT01713582][1]).

Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):C244.

Citation Format: J. Kay Noel, Kazunori Iwata, Shinsuke Ooike, Kunio Sugahara, Hideo Nakamura, Masanori Daibata. Development of the BET bromodomain inhibitor OTX015. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C244.

 [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT01713582&atom=%2Fmolcanther%2F12%2F11_Supplement%2FC244.atom


Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) causes brain injury resulting in electrophysiologic abnormalities visible in electroencephalography (EEG) recordings. Quantitative EEG (qEEG) makes use of quantitative techniques to analyze EEG characteristics such as frequency, amplitude, coherence, power, phase, and symmetry over time independently or in combination. QEEG has been evaluated for its use in making a diagnosis of mTBI and assessing prognosis, including the likelihood of progressing to the postconcussive syndrome (PCS) phase. We review the EEG and qEEG changes of mTBI described in the literature. An attempt is made to separate the findings seen during the acute, subacute, and chronic phases after mTBI. Brief mention is also made of the neurobiological correlates of qEEG using neuroimaging techniques or in histopathology. Although the literature indicates the promise of qEEG in making a diagnosis and indicating prognosis of mTBI, further study is needed to corroborate and refine these methods.


Natural disasters like landslides, droughts, floods, and earthquakes have consistently shown adverse effects on households' access to safe and affordable drinking water. This study examines the impact of natural disaster on household access to drinking water taking a case of Nepal's 2015 Earthquake. Drawing on data from four rounds of the Annual Household Survey (AHS) spanning from 2013/14 to 2016/17, the study employs a difference-in-difference research design to examine how households were impacted in accessing drinking water in the earthquake affected districts of Nepal. The results reveal that households in earthquake affected regions experience a decline in the use of piped drinking water by six-percentage-points compared to other sources of water notably wells, spring and rivers. Concurrently, there was a corresponding increase in the use of open water sources, particularly rivers and springs, for drinking among these households. These findings underscore that during disaster, sources like rivers and spring water can serve as essential alternatives for households, especially in the Hill and Mountain regions of Nepal, where other drinking water alternatives are less feasible. However, it is an important to note that these open water sources are often deemed unsafe for consumption and carry potential health risks. In light of these insights, this study emphasizes the necessity for disaster preparedness plans to prioritize establishing mechanisms that guarantee the safety of such open water sources for drinking during natural disaster and extreme events in the future.


Currently, products containing interferon beta (IFNβ) are injected either intramuscularly or subcutaneously. To avoid the necessity of injection, we developed a novel monomeric Fc fusion protein of IFNβ (IFNβFc) that is absorbed via an immunoglobulin transport system present in the upper and central airways upon administration of the drug as an inhaled aerosol. The systemic absorption of IFNβFc through the lung in non-human primates, at deposited doses of 1, 3, and 10 μg/kg, was compared to the absorption of a single 3 μg/kg dose of IFNβ-1a (Avonex®) subcutaneously administered. IFNβFc was well absorbed through the lung, displaying dose proportional increases in serum concentrations, and was biologically active, as shown by increases in plasma neopterin levels. The circulating half-life of IFNβFc was ∼3 times longer (∼30 h) than that of IFNβ-1a, (8-9 h). At approximately equimolar doses of IFNβFc (10 μg/kg) and IFNβ-1a (3 μg/kg), the stimulation of neopterin over background levels was approximately equivalent, demonstrating that the longer half-life of IFNβFc compensated for the lower relative specific antiviral activity of IFNβFc measured in vitro. In conclusion, IFNβFc was efficiently absorbed after pulmonary delivery in non-human primates, retained its biological activity, and may offer a convenient alternative to injectable IFNβ.


Abstract The establishment of the dies solis as a regular day of rest by Constantine is absolutely a novum in antiquity. The text of the law is not preserved, but two texts of the year 321 (Codex Theodosianus II,8,1 and Codex Iustinianus III 12,2 [3]) hint to the fact that Constantine established the dies solis in connection to the laws about the clergy and the building of churches in 312/313. So, the character of the dies solis cannot be considered as a pagan or syncretistic one, but as an early step towards a Christianisation of the Roman Empire. Even the Roman army had to observe the dies solis in a Christian manner (cf. the oration in Eus., v.C. IV 19f.) from 311/312 onwards. In this early time, of course, the new rules are only realised in the Western part of the Empire, only from 324 onwards even the Eastern part accepted the new rhythm of time. Early Egyptian papyri show that the Christian name of the day (dies dominicus, dominica) is used even in documents written by pagan administrators from 325 onwards.


By examining both the divergence of the velocity vector in orthogonal Cartesian coordinate space $\mathbf{\Gamma} $ of dimension $\R^{\textrm {2fN}}$ and the structure of the Hamiltonian determining a system trajectory, it is shown that the standard Liouville equation cannot describe anything more than linear motion for typical Hamiltonians with separated momentum and space variables and some significant consequences such as the Poincare recurrence theorem do not obtain for such Hamiltonians. A new stochastic equation which is everywhere in principle discontinuous is developed for dynamical systems described by a general Hamiltonian which is a functional of the space and momentum variables, and where the average trajectory of a system point is proven to be orthogonal to any constant energy surface consonant with the system energy at equilibrium. This equation does not assume the presence of binary collision only, as required in the standard first-order Boltzmann equation, and is therefore suitable to describe dense systems as well, and may be viewed as an alternative to the latter. Some new macroscopic variational principles for non-equilibrium thermodynamical systems are proposed, where one object for future work would be to relate the microscopic description given here with the macroscopic principles.


An approach to automatically detect and classify young spruce and birch trees in forest environment is presented. The method could be used in autonomous or semi-autonomous forest machines during tending operations. Detection is done by segmenting laser range images formed by a rotating laser scanner. Classification is done with a two-class Naive Bayes classifier based on image texture features. Multiple combinations of 99 features were tested and the best classifier included eight features from the co-occurrence matrix, local binary patterns, statistical geometrical features and Gabor filter. 79% of spruces and birches in the testing material were detected and 74% of these were correctly classified. Results suggest that the approach is suitable but there are still some challenges in each of the processing steps. Iteration between segmentation and classification is needed to increase reliability.


Small tourism businesses are essential to Australia's economy and development, particularly in regional and rural areas, where a majority of these firms are located. It is important to understand the operation of regional small tourism business, to create strategies for their sustained success into the future. This research paper explores collaboration as an operation of small tourism businesses, by understanding the extent to which small tourism firms face challenges in collaborating at different stages of their business life cycle, and how these challenges to collaboration can be overcome. Collaboration is the selected concept examined within this study as it exposes businesses to shared knowledge, resources, marketing, and capabilities, which these businesses alone would not typically possess. To understand this further, reponses about collaborative behavior were gathered from 24 small tourism operators/managers from The Granite Belt region in South-East Queensland, Australia. Tourism operators recognized several hindrances to successful collaboration: (1) a limited understanding of what collaboration is and how it can be enacted, (2) the informal nature of current collaborations, (3) unbalanced efforts from stakeholders within the collaborations, (4) competition between stakeholders, (5) differing opinions of collaborating businesses, and (6) perceived failure or misdirected leadership from local governing bodies. Using these challenges, a framework was developed that makes recommendations to tourism scholars, organizations, operators, and local councils on how to overcome these hindrances by improving communication, formalizing selected collaborative efforts, and reporting on collaborations.


Although recent studies have suggested that a variety of cytokines released by keratinocytes and inflammatory leukocytes could contribute to induction or persistence of the inflammatory processes in psoriasis, it remains unclear how production of these cytokines is regulated in psoriatic patients. To elucidate the biologic relevance of these cytokines to the pathogenesis of psoriasis, we investigated serum levels of interleukin 1 alpha, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interferon gamma in 21 patients with psoriasis vulgaris, together with 21 healthy controls. The mean serum levels of interleukin 1 alpha and tumor necrosis factor alpha were not significantly different from those in controls, while those of interferon gamma were significantly elevated in the patients with psoriasis. Serum levels of interleukin 1 alpha correlated negatively with clinical disease severity expressed as psoriasis area and severity index score and with duration of psoriasis. In contrast, interferon gamma levels were related, although not significantly, to disease severity. In addition, an inverse correlation was noted between the interleukin 1 alpha levels and interferon gamma levels. These results indicate that interleukin 1 alpha and interferon gamma may be relevant to the induction and perpetuation, respectively, of the inflammatory responses in psoriasis, and that these cytokines, which have similar biologic properties, may strictly regulate one another's production in vivo.


Primary ciliary dyskinesia is a rare genetically determined pathology leading to the development of chronic inflammatory lesions of the respiratory system in children, impaired fertile function in older patients. The disease is characterized by an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance with marked genetic heterogeneity. The article describes clinical observation of a patient – carrier of a rare mutation and describes the features of this case. Conflict of interest: The authors of this article confirmed the lack of conflict of interest and financial support, which should be reported.


As Vice-President of the American Arbitration Association for twenty-five years, as editor during the same period of its Arbitration Journal and—last not least—as a prolific and highly respected author on nearly all aspects of arbitration law, Dr. Martin Domke has wielded an enormous influence in a field of law of growing importance. This Festschrift is evidence of the fact that his work has also secured him the friendship and admiration of numerous other experts. Its contributors come from Europe, the U.S.A. and Asia— although strangely enough not from any of the developing countries. They represent divergent views and interests, as is witnessed by the fact that in more than one instance the opposite opinions are set forth by authors represented in this volume. Thus Dr. F. A. Mann thinks that arbitrators should be bound to decide according to law. So does Dr. Glossner. Professor Schwab, however, asks legislators to "keep in mind" that it is a particular characteristic of arbitration that arbitrators are not so bound. Professor Sohn is enthusiastic about the right of international arbitral tribunals to decide ex aequo et bono, while Professor Scheuner takes a far more critical attitude. Professor Schwarzenberger trenchantly criticises the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States, while Dr. Broches describes the discussions which preceded its drafting and Professor Wortley confines himself to noting its existence without entering the arena of battle. Mr. Pearson points to the difficulties which the English " case stated " procedure causes; Dr. SchmitthofF, however, tries to persuade his readers that the supervision of arbitration by the English courts differs only gradually from that prevailing elsewhere and suggests that some mitigation of the existing rule may be considered as sufficient to cure the evil. It is impossible to list all the numerous contributions in the space of this review; mention must, however, be made of the fact that the volume contains two excellent contributions (by Professors Doi and Kitawaga) on Japanese aspects of arbitration law. The volume thus admirably represents the breadth of outlook and view which characterises the scholar whom it is intended to honour.


In this article, we propose a deep extension of sparse subspace clustering, termed deep subspace clustering with L1-norm (DSC-L1). Regularized by the unit sphere distribution assumption for the learned deep features, DSC-L1 can infer a new data affinity matrix by simultaneously satisfying the sparsity principle of SSC and the nonlinearity given by neural networks. One of the appealing advantages brought by DSC-L1 is that when original real-world data do not meet the class-specific linear subspace distribution assumption, DSC-L1 can employ neural networks to make the assumption valid with its nonlinear transformations. Moreover, we prove that our neural network could sufficiently approximate the minimizer under mild conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this could be one of the first deep-learning-based subspace clustering methods. Extensive experiments are conducted on four real-world data sets to show that the proposed method is significantly superior to 17 existing methods for subspace clustering on handcrafted features and raw data.


In recent years, there have been major advances in knowledge of Vibrio species and related organisms that are responsible for diarrhoeal diseases, particularly V. cholerae O-Group 1 (epidemic strains), atypical V. cholerae O-Group 1, non-O-Group 1 V. cholerae (non-epidemic strains), V. parahaemolyticus, V. alginolyticus, and "Group F vibrios". This article reviews the important new information, and identifies gaps in our knowledge, on aspects such as the epidemiology and bacteriology of vibrios, environmental surveillance for V. cholerae O-Group 1, phage and vibriocin typing of V. cholerae, and cholera enterotoxin, and its relevance to pathogenesis, immunity, and vaccine development. In each of these areas priorities for further research are recommended.


Purpose
The purpose of this study explores the effects that media coverage of corporate social responsibility (CSR) news related to primary stakeholders (e.g. customers, employees and investors) and secondary stakeholders (e.g. community) have on the market value of companies, measured as the impact generated in the positive and negative abnormal returns for those companies.

Design/methodology/approach
Using a sample of 195 online papers published in the most important Spanish business newspaper during 2015, the authors implement an event study and a regression analysis that confirm the importance of CSR news for corporate financial goals.

Findings
The findings show that negative CSR news related to primary stakeholders such as investors and customers generate significant abnormal returns for companies that are notably larger than the abnormal returns generated by secondary stakeholders (e.g. community). Similarly, positive news related to primary stakeholders such as employees are the only positive news that affect market reactions significantly.

Originality/value
The study provides an empirical analysis that clarifies how media coverage of different types of CSR news affect the market value of companies. In doing so, the paper contributes to previous literature significantly because scant research exists that has compared the differential effects of CSR news focused on primary and secondary stakeholders. The findings are discussed under the premises of the managerial perspective of stakeholder theory.


In many computer vision applications, images are acquired with arbitrary or random rotations and translations, and in such setups, it is desirable to obtain semantic representations disentangled from the image orientation. Examples of such applications include semiconductor wafer defect inspection, plankton microscope images, and inference on single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) micro-graphs. In this work, we propose Invariant Representation Learning with Implicit Neural Representation (IRL-INR), which uses an implicit neural representation (INR) with a hypernetwork to obtain semantic representations disentangled from the orientation of the image. We show that IRL-INR can effectively learn disentangled semantic representations on more complex images compared to those considered in prior works and show that these semantic representations synergize well with SCAN to produce state-of-the-art unsupervised clustering results.


Introduction Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are a group of infectious diseases that have a negative influence on human health, especially reproductive health. Despite the crucial progress in terms of diagnosis, treatment and prevention (e.g. vaccination), they remain the most widespread and hazardous infectious diseases [1,2]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about one million STDs are acquired every day worldwide. In developing countries in Africa and Asia, STDs are one of the five most common diseases [3]. Urogenital infections are also a worldwide shared problem that represents the most common reason for a woman to decide to visit to gynaecologist or urologist [4].


Introduction: Wearable devices, including smart wristbands and watches, are often used with e-health applications (apps). The users' characteristics of wrist wearable devices currently lack description, and the cardiovascular disease (CVD) high-risk rate of users remains unknown. Purpose: This study aimed to (1) describe the basic characteristics and habits of users of the "Amazfit Health" app and Huami wrist wearable devices and (2) analyze the proportion and define the population characteristics of users with a high risk of developing CVD. Subjects and Methods: This study included users >18 years of age, residing in mainland China, using the "Amazfit Health" app and Huami wearable devices. Devices data and users' self-reported information were collected in the app. The risk stratification was based on WHO/ISH cardiovascular risk prediction charts for the Western Pacific Region. Subjects with CVD history, total cholesterol ≥8 mmol/L, or ≥10% predicted CVD risk and those with <10% predicted CVD risk were considered to be at high and low risk of developing CVD, respectively. Results: Data were obtained from 80,098 (total users) and 10,866 users (subjects) for risk stratification. The age of the total users and subjects were 45.6 ± 15.4 and 50.7 ± 14.0 years, respectively. The number of male and female users was 50,024, and 30,074 in total users, and 7,284, and 3,582 in subjects, respectively. The body mass index of total users and subjects was 24.0 ± 4.6 kg/m2 and 24.6 ± 3.8 kg/m2, respectively. By classifying users' residences into first-tier cities, municipalities and provincial capitals, and other areas, the numbers of total users were 20,179, 28,213, and 31,137, and subjects were 2,587, 3,966, and 4,269, respectively. The number of subjects with high CVD risk was 1,161, accounting for 10.7% of all subjects. Conclusions: Users with high CVD risk only accounted for a small proportion of the population of wearable devices users.


DNA molecules of Vibrio cholerae and Aeromonas species were prepared by incubating immobilized cells for 4 and 2 h, respectively, with a nonenzymatic solution that contains chemical reagents only (NDSUPlus). This method gave results as reproducible as the enzymatic one that uses proteinase K, and rendered DNA molecules suitable for fingerprinting by mini‐CHEF electrophoresis. As rapid DNA separations at high electric field are achieved in mini‐CHEF chamber with low heat evolution, DNA restriction fragments were separated in 5 h at 10 V/cm in a single resolution window. Then, fragment separations in three resolution windows were done in 15 h. This time is shorter than the one needed by the large CHEF chamber for resolving fragments in a single resolution window. Three windows permitted to include larger numbers of restriction fragments in the calculation of isolate similarities. Both sample preparation and mini‐CHEF electrophoresis may represent an alternative for performing massive epidemiological studies of V. cholerae and Aeromonas species.


For nasal fracture presenting saddle nose deformity, the nasal septum was fixed with the frontal process of the maxillary bone by Kirschner wire. Good results were confirmed with computed tomography, and there was no secondary deformity. This method is easy and provided a firm support for nasal septum. By burying Kirschner wire under the skin, it can be left intact for sufficient time, without disruption of daily life.


A new approach to the problem of crystal structure determination by electron diffraction is described based upon the intensities of higher-order Laue-zone (HOLZ) reflections in convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) patterns. Along a major zone axis, a subset of symmetry-related atoms may project into separate string potentials associated with localized Bloch states. In a quasi-kinematic limit, the amplitudes of HOLZ excess lines diffracted from the Bloch states are proportional to the partial structure factors for these atoms. If a structure is unknown, the Bloch states cannot be calculated but it is shown that the conditional Patterson transform of the HOLZ intensities around suitable axes may include narrow correlation peaks that identify interatomic vectors. This approach was tested by analysis of a metastable Al–Ge phase with space group R{\bar 3}c. A transform of HOLZ intensities measured around the c axis showed peaks displaced by only 0.21 A from the screw axes, consistent with Ge atoms in the 18(e) positions. Although Al atoms were not visible in the Patterson maps, the crystal structure with nominal composition Al6Ge5 was identified as isostructural with the Zn4Sb3 phase by comparison of observed and calculated X-ray powder intensities.


Inhibition of renal vasoconstriction during hyperacute rejection by phenoxybenzamine or methylprednisolone combined with either the antiplatelet agent pyridinolcarbamate or heparin was evaluted in primates. Phenoxybenzamine plus pyridinolcarbamate did not prolong kidney survival. Phenoxybenzamine plus heparin uniformly prolonged low rates of venous flow to 180 minutes and delayed secondary C3 consumption, sequestration of erythrocytes and platelets, coagulation, and fibrinolysis; neutrophil sequestration and vascular injury and obstruction were more marked than with heparin alone. Host pretreatment with methylprednisolone plus heparin also prolonged the low rates of venous flow to 180 minutes, further reduced secondary alterations, and resulted in the least vascular injury. When intact donor kidneys were also pretreated with methylprednisolone, persistently normal rates of venous flow were achieved. Despite marked consumption of Factor XII, the consumption of C3, other coagulation factors, prekallikrein, and sequestration of formed elements was minimal, and the histology appeared compatible with even more prolonged survival.


The ability to engineer bioactive sites within the biopolymer collagen has significant potential to dictate cellular microenvironments and processes. We have developed a novel recombinant DNA platform that enables such molecular-level control over this important material. In this investigation, we demonstrated the production of synthetic human collagen using yeast strains that were engineered with human prolyl hydroxylase α and β genes integrated into the genome and a codon-optimized collagen gene carried on a plasmid. To understand the extent to which this synthetic collagen can mimic native human collagen, we examined the relationships between the structural topology and physical stability with the ability to support adhesion of HT-1080 cells. Characterization of these biopolymers included evaluation using circular dichroism spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and MTT metabolic activity assays. Although the apparent melting temperatures of the recombinant collagens were ∼3–5℃ less than native sources, the recombinant and native collagens exhibited comparable triple helical structure, polymeric dimensions, adsorption on polystyrene, and cellular adhesion properties below their respective melting temperature values. These results support the feasibility of producing molecularly-engineered collagens that can mimic native substrates for therapeutic and tissue engineering applications.


Saltmarsh peat deposits are widely used for the reconstruction of Holocene relative mean sea-level (MSL) change. Usually, the elevation of a peat sample is assumed to approximate the mean high water (MHW) level at sea at deposition time, but distortion of the tidal wave by local bathymetry can invalidate this assumption. This paper presents tidal data for monthly local MHW throughout the Great Marshes and Barnstable Harbor, Barnstable, Cape Cod, U.S.A. Significant temporal and spatial variations in MHW are observed. The temporal variations complicate the establishment of valid present local MHW levels to relate to fossilizing sea-level markers. The spatial differences in local MHW must be taken into account when off-shore palaeo-MSL is calculated from local palaeo-MHW. Maximum variations of up to 0.20 m were observed in monthly MHW in the tidal inlet of the study area, which correlate closely with variations in monthly MSL. Spatial differences are larger, however; monthly MHW levels near the upland border were up to 0.55 m lower than the simultaneous MHW level on the tidal flat, which, in turn, was generally 0.10 m higher than MHW in the inlet. Spatial MHW differences may explain some of the vertical scatter in the sea-level index points in the literature when samples originate from different locations. Even when samples from a single location are used for sea-level reconstruction, the presented local palaeo-MHW curve may deviate from the true off-shore palaeo-MHW curve due to a constant or time-dependent spatial MHW differences in MHW. Variable flooding characteristics of the saltmarsh surface also complicate efforts to refine sea-level reconstructions based on floral and faunal species-dependent relationships to inlet MSL. Moreover, the tidal measurements indicate a feedback mechanism between local MHW and saltmarsh surface elevation, resulting in a landward decrease of both in the most distal parts of the study area. These tidal measurements constitute a database to calibrate and verify an enhanced hydraulic simulation model for intertidal regions.


Kamafugites and carbonatitic tuffs, though not common natural pozzolans, are the main option for supplementary cementitious materials in regions surrounding the Western part of the East African Rift valley system. The tuffs are silica undersaturated, carbonatitic and largely ultrapotassic. The current study sought to characterise their physical and chemical properties and compare them with those of published works on natural pozzolans. Two samples, a carbonatite and a kamafugite, from the Toro-Ankole geological region of East Africa are investigated for their effect on specific properties of pastes and mortars when used as natural pozzolans in Portland cement. The volcanic tuffs milled to three fineness levels and blended with Portland cement at 0%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 35% replacement levels are tested for effects on hydration and compressive strength. Results show a time dependent variation in heat of hydration which increases for the first 14 hours before decreasing. The variation seems dependent on level of replacement. Compressive strength results show dependence on level of replacement and fineness which was pronounced until 90 days, peaking at 28 days. Increase in replacement level resulted in a general reduction in compressive strength. A compressive strength conversion process that peaks at 10% replacement level is observed in all blended samples leading to compressive strength results at 180 days being lower than those at 90 days of curing. Compressive strength test results, however, sustain the ASTM C618 and BS 3892 minimum requirement for pozzolanic Portland cements indicating that the carbonatites and kamafugites can be gainfully applied in cement production from the resource and energy economy perspectives.


"Good surgery is largely a matter of paying particular attention to little details."—J. M. T. Finney. Through the centuries it has been known that twisted fibers are strong even though individually their component parts resist little tension. Notwithstanding, little attention has been paid to the matter of the twist in catgut suture material as it may affect the tensile strength and absorption of the strand and the reliability of the knot. It may safely be admited that some important and effective details in the practical use of catgut sutures and ligatures have been entirely overlooked. It is also to be admitted that surgeons have been rather careless in their use of catgut, and no doubt reckless with the truth in charging certain failures inadvertently to faulty material rather than to improper application. The purpose of this article is to show how the twist and its variations can alter the


The sodium pump (Na,K-ATPase) in animal cells is vital for actively maintaining ATP hydrolysis–powered Na+ and K+ electrochemical gradients across the cell membrane. These ion gradients drive co- and countertransport and are critical for establishing the membrane potential. It has been an enigma how Na,K-ATPase discriminates between Na+ and K+, despite the pumped ion on each side being at a lower concentration than the other ion. Recent crystal structures of analogs of the intermediate conformations E2·Pi·2K+ and Na+-bound E1∼P·ADP suggest that the dimensions of the respective binding sites in Na,K-ATPase are crucial in determining its selectivity. Here, we found that the selectivity at each membrane face is pH-dependent and that this dependence is unique for each face. Most notable was a strong increase in the specific affinity for K+ at the extracellular face (i.e. E2 conformation) as the pH is lowered from 7.5 to 5. We also observed a smaller increase in affinity for K+ on the cytoplasmic side (E1 conformation), which reduced the selectivity for Na+. Theoretical analysis of the pKa values of ion-coordinating acidic amino acid residues suggested that the face-specific pH dependences and Na+/K+ selectivities may arise from the protonation or ionization of key residues. The increase in K+ selectivity at low pH on the cytoplasmic face, for instance, appeared to be associated with Asp808 protonation. We conclude that changes in the ionization state of coordinating residues in Na,K-ATPase could contribute to altering face-specific ion selectivity.


In the covariate shift learning scenario, the training and test covariate distributions differ, so that a predictor's average loss over the training and test distributions also differ. In this work, we explore the potential of extreme dimension reduction, i.e. to very low dimensions, in improving the performance of importance weighting methods for handling covariate shift, which fail in high dimensions due to potentially high train/test covariate divergence and the inability to accurately estimate the requisite density ratios. We first formulate and solve a problem optimizing over linear subspaces a combination of their predictive utility and train/test divergence within. Applying it to simulated and real data, we show extreme dimension reduction helps sometimes but not always, due to a bias introduced by dimension reduction.


In large cooperative multiagent systems, coordinating the actions of the agents is critical to the overall system achieving its intended goal. Even when the agents aim to cooperate, ensuring that the agent actions lead to good system level behavior becomes increasingly difficult as systems become larger. One of the fundamental difficulties in such multiagent systems is the slow learning process where an agent not only needs to learn how to behave in a complex environment, but also needs to account for the actions of other learning agents. In this paper, we present a multiagent learning approach that significantly improves the learning speed in multiagent systems by allowing an agent to update its estimate of the rewards (e.g. value function in reinforcement learning) for all its available actions, not just the action that was taken. This approach is based on an agent estimating the counterfactual reward it would have received had it taken a particular action. Our results show that the rewards on such "actions not taken" are beneficial early in training, particularly when only particular "key" actions are used. We then present results where agent teams are leveraged to estimate those rewards. Finally, we show that the improved learning speed is critical in dynamic environments where fast learning is critical to tracking the underlying processes.


The current study was carried out to compare the antileishmanial potential of the characterized chemically and plant mediated (Trigonella foenum-graecum) FeO-NPs (FeO-NPs) against L.tropica KWH23. The promastigotes and amastigotes mortality, ROS generation, and biocompatibility assessment were estimated in time-dose dependent manner by PDT. LED exposed bio-inspired FeO-NPs after 72 hours, express significant suppressive effects by exhibiting 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) 0.001572±0.02μg/ml and 0.011408±0.02μg/ml for promastigotes and amastigotes, respectively. Leishmanial DNA damage and membrane integrity caused by FeO-NPs were owe to high production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). By applying different ROS scavengers (mannitol and sodium azide) hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen were found as main moieties for cell death by giving quantum yield 0.15 and 0.28 through chemically and green synthesized FeO-NPs, respectively. The light exposed green synthesized nanoparticles were found biocompatible on human red blood cells (RBCs), by exhibiting LD50 value 2659μg/mL. From these findings, it can be concluded that plant mediated FeO-NPs can be used as promising antiprotozoal agent.


The fully revised edition of BAGS offers a unique overview of the most important bags in the collection of the Museum of Bags and Purses. The book covers the history of the bags and its uses over the last 600 years, encompassing pouches, wallets, chatelaines, reticules, travel-bags, minaudieres, vanity cases, evening bags and well-known designer bags and IT-bags. Read about Madonna's bag, the cupcake bag featured in TV series "Sex and the City", and learn why Kelly bag will continue to be timeless. Over the centuries, the bag has been influenced by trends in fashion, design and art, as well as by socio-cultural developments. BAGS presents the bag in all its diversity regarding its use, forms materials and adornments, a must be for enthusiastic and professionals alike. The Museum of Bags and Purses is the biggest bag Museum in the world and puts the history of the bag on display, from the late Middle Ages up to the present.


Background: Acute cholecystitis is a common cause of acute abdomen and a frequently encountered surgical emergency. It constitutes about 10% of acute abdomen. Gallstones are the most common biliary and digestive disease leading to hospitalisation. About 95% of the patients with cholecystitis are calculus cholecystitis and the remaining 5% of the patients are acalculus cholecystitis. This is a descriptive study and the objective of the study is to find the various modes of clinical presentation, different etiological factors and various pathological of acute cholecystitis in the RIMS Hospital, Imphal, Manipur, India. Methods: Detailed history of the 100 cases was taken from the patient and examined clinically for their complaints suggestive of gallbladder disease. All the cases were then subjected to a battery of investigations. Operations were performed in all the cases through standard Kocher's subcostal incision. Cholecystectomy was accomplished either by cystic duct or fundus first techniques or by combination of both. The specimens removed were sent for histopathological examination for final diagnosis. Results: Majority of' the patients (45%) in the age group of 41-60 years, suffered from acute cholecystitis. Female predominance over the male counterpart was seen in the present study with female comprising 72% and male 28% only. Only 10% of the cases had a family history suggestive of gallstone disease. The remaining 90% of the cases did not have any family history suggestive of gall stone disease. Conclusions: In most of the cases gallstones are the cause of acute cholecystitis. Patients suspected of having acute cholecystitis should be admitted to hospital immediately for the first line treatments including fasting, intravenous fluids, and analgesia. The first line treatment should be followed by Surgery (cholecystectomy) within 24 – 48 hours of admission (early). Even though open cholecystectomy was performed in this study, Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the gold standard and operation of choice. The present work will give a reference value for other workers to know the disease spectrum of acute cholecystitis in this part of the region.


Speaker extraction algorithm extracts the target speech from a mixture speech containing interference speech and background noise. The extraction process sometimes over-suppresses the extracted target speech, which not only creates artifacts during listening but also harms the performance of downstream automatic speech recognition algorithms. We propose a hybrid continuity loss function for time-domain speaker extraction algorithms to settle the over-suppression problem. On top of the waveform-level loss used for superior signal quality, i.e., SI-SDR, we introduce a multi-resolution delta spectrum loss in the frequency-domain, to ensure the continuity of an extracted speech signal, thus alleviating the over-suppression. We examine the hybrid continuity loss function using a time-domain audio-visual speaker extraction algorithm on the YouTube LRS2-BBC dataset. Experimental results show that the proposed loss function reduces the over-suppression and improves the word error rate of speech recognition on both clean and noisy two-speakers mixtures, without harming the re-constructed speech quality.


The US Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting a program to develop ultra high-efficiency, cost-effective, environmentally benign gas turbine systems for industrial and utility applications. The Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) Program, jointly managed by the DOE`s Office of Fossil Energy (DOE/FE) and Office of Conservation and Renewable Energy (DOE/CE), will lead to the commercial offering by industry of systems meeting full program goals by the years 2000--2002. It is expected that some advanced technology will already have been commercialized in intermediate systems before that time. Teams, led by US turbine manufacturers, will conduct most of the development work in the ATS Program. However, a substantial technology base element of the program see universities and others conduct significant research and development (R&D) on generic technology issues relevant to the program. The program is primarily aimed at developing natural gas-fired turbine systems. Although the conversion of ATS to firing with coal or biomass fuels will be addressed in the analysis of ATS, tests will not be conducted in the program to verify conversion to alternate fuel firing. The program will however, include work to transfer advanced technology to the coal- and biomass-fueled systems being developed in other DOE programs.


In this study, three teacher candidates (TCs) in the United States examined their own experiences in a short term study abroad focused on early childhood education (ECE) in Hungary. Using the approach of autoethnography, they documented and analyzed their experiences about the two and a half week visit to uncover the process of transformation. The results of the data spiral analysis (Creswell, 2003) indicated specific themes of disruptive experiences and cognitive dissonance about culture, language and early childhood education. In addition, further analysis found themes related to reflection and to planned actions as a result of the transformative study abroad experience. The findings indicated that the study abroad program allowed the TCs to develop new knowledge and dispositions related to culture, language and ECE that have the potential to create long-term, deep changes in their thinking and actions.


This chapter describes the methods of evaluating the performance of photovoltaic cells and modules. The key evaluating factor of photovoltaic cells is the energy converting efficiency under standard testing conditions. The efficiency is the ratio of the maximum electrical output power of a solar cell to the incident optical power in the form of sunlight. The properties of sunlight and solar simulators, and characteristics of photovoltaic solar cells are described. The calibration method, setup and traceability are also discussed.


A double-pillaring strategy for the synthesis of silacyclophanes has been applied to dibenzofuran to create a new cyclophane molecule that links two dibenzofuran molecules through σ(SiSi)-π conjugation. The performance of disilanyl double-pillared dibenzofuran [(Si)DPBD(O)] in green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices was evaluated as both a carrier-transport material and a host material for an Ir-based phosphorescent emitter.


Abstract Use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting was banned in the United States in 1991 to reduce the incidence of lead toxicosis in waterfowl. In 1999 Canada implemented a similar ban. The lower Great Lakes (LGL) are important migratory areas for greater (Aythya marila) and lesser scaup (A. affinis). Prior to the implementation of the Canadian ban, 11% and 8% of greater and lesser scaup harvested in the LGL, respectively, had ingested lead shot. We collected greater and lesser scaup on the Canadian side of lakes Erie, Ontario, and St. Clair during autumn 1999 and spring 2000 to determine if lead shot ingestion declined 1 year after the ban in Canada. There were no intraspecific (lake, season, sex, or age) or interspecific differences in proportion of birds containing ingested shot. Overall, only 0.6% of birds (n = 4 of 722) contained lead shot and only 3.1% contained nontoxic shot. The low frequency of toxic relative to nontoxic shot ingestion suggests that shot may quickly become inaccessible to scaup on lacustrine areas of the Great Lakes. Thus, the risk of lead toxicosis to scaup migrating through the LGL appears low at this time. Pre- and postban differences in overall ingestion frequencies (8–11% vs. 3.7%) suggests that preban numbers may have been biased (elevated) because lead shot ingestion can increase harvest susceptibility. However, recent scaup dietary shifts may also have contributed to overall declines in shot consumption. Low postban lead shot ingestion may also be indicative of high hunter compliance with nontoxic shot regulations in Canada.


itis. It is to be regretted that the translator of the second volume of Trousseau's Clinical Medicine renders "Laiyngite striduleuse" by " Laryngismus stridulus." This is an error which is likely to cause confusion in the minds of many readers. By " Laryngite striduleuse", Trousseau and other French writers obviously mean stridulous inflammation, and not spasm of the larynx. The cough and voice in cases of simple laryngitis are much louder than in cases of laryngeal diphtheria. The term stri4ulous laryngitis is therefore very expressive. The membranous exudation of diphtheria impedes the vibration of the vocal cord, and the sound of the cough and voice is stifled. The muffled character of the voice and cough affords one means of diagnosis between laryngeal diphtheria and simple laryngitis, but a laryngoscopic examination gives results far more precise and trustworthy. The points of distinction between the simple inflammatory and the diphtheritic disease of the larynx, are given with admirable clearness by Trousseau, in his Lecture xxiii: " Laryngite striduleuse." (French edition. In this lecture, which has not yet been translated, Trousseau remarks upon the deplorable confusion which has resulted from the fact that, in Home's treatise on croup, the two distinct diseases-laryngeal diphtheria, or true croup, and stridulous laryngitis, or false croup, are confounded under one name. We now see clearly that three distinct diseases have received the generic name of croup. Ist. Laryngismus stridulus, or spasmodic croup. All writers agree that this is a purely nervous affection, unassociated with structural disease of the larynx. 2nd. Simple laryngitis, or inflammatory croup. This is not associated with the formation of false membranes in the air-passages. 3rd. Diphtheritic croup, or membranous laryngitis. This is a specific contagious disease. It matters little whether, with the French writers, we call laryngeal diphtheria true croup, or whether, with English authors, we look upon true croup as an inflammatory disease; but it is of the highest practical importance that we recognise the true nature of each. Repeated doses of calomel have been given in numberless cases of croup, to prevent the formation of false membranes. Now, with reference to this practice, let us bear in mind the following facts. In cases of inflammatory croup false membranes never occur; mercury, therefore, is not required to prevent their formation. In cases of diphtheria, the mercurial treatment is almost universally condemned as injurious. What reason, then, is there for the administration of repeated doses of calomel in any form of croup ? Calomel in frequent doses, if not useful, can scarcely fail to be injurious, more especially in the case of children. I am, etc., GEORGF. JOHNSON. iI, Savile Row, January 24th, I870.


Background Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is often presented with psoriasis (PsO). However, the severity of PsO among PsA patients varies, which may affect the comorbidity burden in this population. Objectives This study aimed to assess the comorbidity burden and medication use between PsA patients with moderate-to-severe PsO vs. those with minimal skin PsO. Methods Adults (18–64 years) with ≥2 claims for PsA (ICD-9-CM: 696.0) that were ≥30 days apart were selected from the Truven Health MarketScan claims database (data cut period 07/2009–06/2014). The index date was a randomly selected date after the first PsA claim. All patients were required to have ≥12-month continuous eligibility before (baseline period) and after (study period) the index date. Patients in the PsA+moderate-to-severe PsO group were required to have 1) ≥2 claims for PsO (ICD-9-CM: 696.1) that were ≥30 days apart, and 2) ≥1 PsO claim and ≥1 systemic therapy/phototherapy in the study period. PsA patients were classified into the PsA+minimal skin PsO group if they did not have any PsO claim or phototherapy in the data cut period, or had ≥1 PsO claim but no evidence of systemic therapy or phototherapy in the data cut period. Patient demographics as of the index date, comorbidities, and medication use during the study period were compared between these two groups. Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used to compare continuous variables and Chi-square tests were used to compare binary variables. Bonferroni correction was used to adjust for multiple comparisons. Results A total of 10,495 patients with PsA+moderate-to-severe PsO and 15,503 patients with PsA+minimal skin PsO were included in this study. Mean age and percent male were comparable (48.46±10.29 vs. 49.92±10.05 years; 48.2% vs. 46.7%). Compared to patients with PsA+minimal skin PsO, those with PsA+moderate-to-severe PsO had slightly higher rates of chronic pulmonary disease (23.6% vs. 21.4%) and liver disease (excluding fatty liver) (15.1% vs. 10.7%), but lower rates of co-prevalent rheumatic disease (5.1% vs. 7.0%) and rheumatoid arthritis (32.2% vs. 35.7%). Patients with PsA+moderate-to-severe PsO also had significant higher rates of several PsA-associated comorbidities, including anxiety (18.8% vs. 15.8%), depression (23.2% vs. 20.1%) and obesity (21.5% vs. 15.9%) (all p<0.0001). Patients with PsA+moderate-to-severe PsO had significantly higher rates of all-cause medication use (99.9% vs. 94.7%) and larger number of unique medications filled (13.38 vs. 11.28) than patients with PsA+minimal skin PsO (both p<0.0001). Significant differences were also observed in the mean number of unique medications filled between these two groups for PsA-related medications (2.78 vs. 2.14), non-PsA-related medications (10.60 vs. 9.14), antidepressants (0.60 vs. 0.55), and antidiabetics (0.30 vs. 0.25) (all p<0.0001). Conclusions PsA patients with moderate-to-severe PsO had a higher comorbidity burden compared to those with minimal skin PsO, and also incurred significantly more medication use overall and related to PsA and specific comorbid conditions. Acknowledgement This study is funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Disclosure of Interest J. Merola Grant/research support from: Biogen IDEC, AbbVie, Amgen, Pfizer, Consultant for: Biogen IDEC, AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Janssen, Momenta, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, V. Herrera Shareholder of: Novartis, Employee of: Novartis, J. Palmer Employee of: Novartis


We report a patient with multiple hepatic metastases and ovarian metastases of transverse colon cancer treated by combination of S-1 and CPT-11. The patient was a 51-year-old woman with cancer of the transverse colon and multiple hepatic metastases. She had undergone surgery. Resection of the transverse colon and left ovary was performed because left ovarian metastases were found during the operation. After the operation, the patient was given chemotherapy with S-1 (120 mg/body on days 1-14) and CPT-11 (150 mg/body on day 1). After completion of 11 courses of chemotherapy, abdominal CT scans revealed that the LDAs of the liver had disappeared, so the patient was judged to have achieved CR. No adverse event was observed. This case suggests that the combination of S-1 and CPT-11 may be an effective regimen for advanced colon cancer with multiple hepatic metastases.


A systematic design methodology for low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) is introduced. This methodology follows a bottom-up approach that employs a multi-objective evolutionary optimization algorithm, which is used at two levels. First, it is used to generate Pareto-based performance models for integrated planar inductors. To do so, an electromagnetic simulator that takes into account the inductor's layout, thus providing highly accurate performance evaluations, is coupled to the optimizer. Unlike foundry-provided inductor libraries, these Pareto-based models offer a detailed insight of the trade-offs between inductance, quality factor and area. Afterwards the Pareto-based models for the inductors are used as design variables to generate the LNA Pareto surface, thus providing highly accurate performance trade-offs of the LNA.


This issue contains a selection of papers by the late Joao L. Madeira which have been previously published in the Revista Brasileira de Estatistica, together with an obituary and an annotated bibliography of his works.


THE ARTICLE EXHIBITS ARGUMENTS PRESENTED IN SEARCH REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF POPULAR LITERATURE. ON ONE SIDE, CALLED ALIENATING, THIS LITERATURE LEADS TO ACCOMODATION; ON THE OTHER; IN CONTRAST, IS THE AFFIRMATION THAT, HOWEVER INSIGNIFICANT THE MATERIAL, ALL READING LEADS TO SOME BROADENING OF THE READER'S KNOWLEDGE, IN ACCORD WITH HIS OR HER EXPERIENCE. THE THEORIES OF SEVERAL AUTHORS WHO RESEARCH POPULAR LITERATURE ARE PRESENTED WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON PULP FICTION IN WESTERN SOCIETY AND THE ROLE THESE PLAY IN THE DISSEMINATION OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS.


Bilateral renal cyst formation is the main feature of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). We and other laboratories have previously shown that cyst-lining epithelia of kidneys from ADPKD patients are characterized by polyploidy. In this report, we show that endothelia from the renal capillary beds of two ADPKD patients are also polyploidy. Spectral karyotyping study further confirms our flow cytometry analyses. We suggest that polyploidy may be used as a potential cellular marker in ADPKD.


The synthesis of 3-alkyl(aryl)-4-(3-ethoxy-4-hydroxybenzylidenamino)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones 3 from the reactions of 3-alkyl(aryl)-4-amino-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones 2 with 3-ethoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde is described. The acetylation and methylation reactions of the compounds 3 giving compounds of type 4 and 5, respectively, were investigated. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized using elemental analyses and IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and UV spectral data. In addition, to investigate the effects of solvents and molecular structure upon acidity, compounds 3 were titrated potentiometrically with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide in four non-aqueous solvents (isopropyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol, acetonitrile and N,N-dimethylformamide). The half-neutralization potential values and the corresponding pKa values were determined for all cases.


This paper describes the application of augmented reality in the teaching of highly complex anatomical and physiological subjects in the training of nurses at undergraduate level. The general aim of the project is to investigate the potentials of this application in terms of making the complex content and context of these subjects more approachable to the students through the visualization made possible through the use of this technology. The background, hypotheses, nature, design, and results of this initial work are described as well as the methodological approach and the results.


In a cross-over trial with feeding periods of 2 weeks, six healthy dogs were fed a dry food with a total fat content of 13.4% and containing either 5% (w/w) corn oil (11% of dietary metabolizable energy) or an isoenergetic amount of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). The two diets were supplied on a restricted basis. There were no food refusals and no diet difference in palatability was observed. The MCT vs. Corn oil did not significantly influence plasma lipid concentrations, but group mean triacylglycerol concentrations were increased by 23% (p=0.074). The MCT consumption did not affect the apparent digestibilities of crude protein and soluble carbohydrates and had no impact on the absorption of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. The incorporation of MCT into the diet produced a slight increase (by 0.9 percentage units) in crude fat digestibility (p=0.061). It is concluded that MCT at the present inclusion level may not have disadvantageous effects.


Background, the increasing of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the community requires more effective and efficient treatment. Telemedicine is an application of electronic, computer and telecommunication technology used to exchange health information over long distances. This application aims to assist the implementation of health care procedures and improve health services to the society, both at the community health center and related health offices. Objective, to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of telemedicine systems in managing diabetes self management in the community. The method used in this writing is study of literature. The literature used is related journals that have been published by the institution Local and international journals. The stage done is collecting related journals, review of journals and discussions. Results, Telemedicine system at the Community Health Center basically only requires a set of computers connected to the internet, and a person in charge of operating it. The person is in charge of linking the telemedicine system in the Community Health Center with the Telemedicine system from the Regional Health Office. The person has a password to be able to access the PTM Portal owned by the Regional Health Office, and enter the latest findings of patients who go to the Community Health Center and diagnose diabetes mellitus. The data can be reported weekly / monthly.  Telemedicine system has the potential to be applied to the management of diabetes mellitus because it is considered effective and acceptability. The system that has been used in the Community Health Center includes: 1) Telemedicine System for management of TB control, 2) Telemedicine system for monitoring disease status & handling outbreaks 3) Telemedicine systems for electronic prescription (e-Prescription System), 4) Telemedicine System for Emergency Room (ER), Facility Management 5) Mobile Telemedicine System with multi communication link. Keywords: Telemedicine, diabetes self management, community