Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is associated with a high mortality. In 27 consecutive neutropenic patients who underwent lung resection for suspected IPA, we analyzed preoperative diagnostic evaluation, operative procedure, perioperative management, histological findings, outcome concerning recurrence of aspergillosis, and survival to evaluate the morbidity and mortality of a surgical treatment of IPA. Seventeen patients with hematologic diseases had previously undergone high-dose chemotherapy and four stem cell transplantation. Six patients with aplastic anemia were treated with antilymphocyte globulin. IPA was suspected if localized infiltrates developed on thoracic CT scan, and fever persisted under antibiotic therapy in neutropenic patients. In only one case a diagnosis of IPA could be made preoperatively. Twenty patients underwent lobectomy and seven wedge resection. At day of surgery the neutrophil count was below 500 x 10(9)/L in 78% of patients, and the platelet count below in 50 x 10(9)/L in 58% of patients. Invasive fungal infection was confirmed histologically in 22 of 27 patients (81.5%); in five patients no fungal infection was documented. The median duration of surgery was 120 min. Postoperatively, patients stayed one night in the intensive care unit, and chest tubes were removed after 2 d. Within 7 d a median of four erythrocyte packs and two platelet packs per patient were replaced. Major surgical complications occurred in two patients (bronchial dehiscence; pleural aspergillosis). Minor surgical complications included prolonged chest tube drainage (recurrent pneumothorax, n = 2; air leakage, n = 1; hematothorax, n = 1), pleural effusion (n = 4), and seroma (n = 2). Postoperatively, two patients suffered from histologically proven disseminated aspergillosis (pleural aspergillosis, renal aspergilloma) and another patient from suspected orbital aspergillosis. At 30 d postoperative mortality was 11% and 3-mo survival was 77%. After lung resection, seven patients underwent stem cell transplantation without recurrence of IPA. In conclusion, we suggest lung resection is a therapeutic option for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in neutropenic patients with hematologic diseases and is associated with a low surgery-related morbidity and mortality.


The operation of a simple device that converts continuous-wave (CW) laser light into a short-pulse train is reported. The setup is based on a passive ring cavity in which an acoustooptic frequency shifter takes the place of one of the mirrors. Temporal filtering and pulse compression of laser light was demonstrated. The experimental results obtained by injecting a CW CO/sub 2/ laser light in such a device are in agreement with the theoretical analysis. The device's application in external pulse compression of mode-locked pulses is also demonstrated. >


MgB2/Fe wires have been produced by the powder-in-tube technique following the in situ route. The influence of low amounts of Cu or Ag additions into the precursor powder mixture on the kinetics of MgB2 formation was studied in situ by means of synchrotron x-ray diffraction during heat-treatments at 504 and 547 °C. Both Cu and Ag additions result in a significant increase of the MgB2 formation rate. A thin, discontinuous Fe2B layer was formed at the interface between the MgB2 core and the Fe sheath. At the end of the heat-treatment, Cu and Ag were found in submicrometer-sized particles segregated within the MgB2 matrix.


Tetrasomy 18p is often the result of an additional isochromosome for the short arm of chromosome 18. Although many organ systems are affected phenotypically, the ocular manifestations associated with tetrasomy 18p have not been well characterized in the literature. This case report presents the ocular and facial features associated with tetrasomy 18p in a 4-year-old Black girl, along with a review of clinical presentations previously reported in the literature. A systematic review of the literature in PubMed was conducted to summarize the reported eye, ocular adnexa, and distinctive facial features in individuals with confirmed tetrasomy 18p. Searching "Tetrasomy 18p" generated 65 article results, of which 28 articles had sufficient eye and facial descriptions. Including the patient in this report, 90 patients had confirmed tetrasomy 18p. The most common features noted in these 90 patients, with a roughly equal male-to-female ratio of impact (7:8), were as follows: microcephaly (57%), triangular facies (18%), anomalous palpebral fissures (31%), strabismus (48%), low-set ears (52%), hearing loss to some extent (16%), depressed or flat nasal bridge (18%), smooth philtrum (41%), thin upper lip (27%), and highly arched palate (21%). Additionally, many were noted to have feeding difficulties (28%), developmental delay (58%), and abnormal brain findings on imaging (20%). Muscle tone was abnormal in 23% of the patients. This report elucidates the reoccurring eye, ocular adnexa, and distinctive facial features associated with tetrasomy 18p. This knowledge may assist in timely diagnosis and encourage providers to use a multidisciplinary approach for the treatment of affected individuals. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2021;58(6):e44-e48.].


Abstract : Laboratory investigations and wide trials under natural conditions of diethyltoluamide synthesized on the basis of petroleum metaxylole as compared to diethyltoluamide synthesized on the basis of coal metaxylole demonstrated that these substances were similar in toxicity. Local irritation effect on the skin and mucous membranes of warm-blooded animals and man were demonstrated. Changes of the initial raw materials were not reflected in the toxic properties of this repellent.


An investigation and quantification of certain performance characteristics of a flat type 3" x 3" thallium activated sodium iodide scintillation detector was carried out. Certain performance characteristics like the operating voltage, the energy calibration, the photomultiplier tube (PMT) gain, the detector resolution and detector efficiency of the detector were determined and discussed. A quality assurance programme was carried out in laboratories of North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, India to validate our analytical method for determination of radio-nuclides in environmental samples. The quality of the data generated by cross-checking method assures that the NaI(Tl) detector which is used for our study is efficient and trustworthy whereby data generated by it can be considered authentic and of acceptable quality.


The 2011 October 23 MW 7.1 Van earthquake in eastern Turkey caused ~600 deaths and caused widespread damage and economic loss. The seismogenic rupture was restricted to 10-25 km in depth, but aseismic surface creep, coincident with outcrop fault exposures, was observed in the hours to months after the earthquake. We combine observations from radar interferometry, seismology, geomorphology and Quaternary dating to investigate the geological slip rate and seismotectonic context of the Van earthquake, and assess the implications for continuing seismic hazard in the region. Transient post-seismic slip on the upper Van fault started immediately following the earthquake, and decayed over a period of weeks; it may not fully account for our long-term surface slip-rate estimate of ≥ 0.5 mm yr-1. Post-seismic slip on the Bostanici splay fault initiated several days to weeks after the main shock, and we infer that it may have followed the MW 5.9 aftershock on the 9th November. The Van earthquake shows that updip segmentation can be important in arresting seismic ruptures on dip-slip faults. Two large, shallow aftershocks show that the upper 10 km of crust can sustain significant earthquakes, and significant slip is observed to have reached the surface in the late Quaternary, so there may be a continuing seismic hazard from the upper Van fault and the associated splay. The wavelength of folding in the hanging wall of the Van fault is dominated by the structure in the upper 10 km of the crust, masking the effect of deeper seismogenic structures. Thus, models of subsurface faulting based solely on surface folding and faulting in regions of reverse faulting may underestimate the full depth extent of seismogenic structures in the region. In measuring the cumulative post-seismic offsets to anthropogenic structures, we show that Structure-from-Motion can be rapidly deployed to create snapshots of postseismic displacement.We also demonstrate the utility of declassified Corona mission imagery (1960s-1970s) for geomorphic mapping in areas where recent urbanization has concealed the geomorphic markers.


Quality of life measurements are increasingly incorporated into trials of pharmaceuticals. This can be applied to a wide range of medical areas including drug-addiction maintenance treatment programs. Maintenance treatment has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for opioid addiction but still lacks quality of life specific measures to measure the maintenance program effects and until now there have been only few attempts to assess the impact of opioid dependence and its treatment on the drug-addicted patients' quality of life. The aim of this article is to describe quality of life concept, measurement instruments, selection criteria and its applicability in the drug addiction maintenance studies.


The problem of controlling a class of nonholonomic systems in chained form affected by uncertain nonlinear drift term and parametric uncertainties is addressed in this paper. The control of nonholonomic systems is a quite complex problem since this class of systems is not stabilizable with a stationary continuous state feedback. The idea investigated in this paper is to apply the so-called second order sliding mode control methodology to solve this problem. To this end, the system model needs to be reformulated so as to make the uncertain terms appear in matched form. A suitable transformation of the system model, based on a discontinuous state scaling and a backstepping based procedure, is proposed in the paper. On the basis of the transformed system state, it is possible to design an appropriate parameter adaptation mechanism and a particular sliding manifold upon which a second order sliding mode is enforced.


ABSTRACT Learning mathematics in an inclusive classroom is challenging for many students with disabilities. The adapted digital mathematics textbooks for Grades 3 to 6 in South Korea were designed to support these students' access to the general mathematics curriculum. This study evaluates these textbooks according to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines. The design features of the mathematics textbooks varied within and across various UDL checkpoints. Overall, the aspect of providing multiple means of action and expression was the most frequently observed, followed by providing multiple means of representation and providing multiple means of engagement. Special education teachers and textbook developers can use these results as a resource for designing curricula and lessons for students with disabilities in the inclusive classroom.


Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the canal transportation and canal centering ability in the preparation of curved root canals after instrumentation with V-Taper 2H, ProTaper Next (PN), and Hyflex CM files using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: Thirty mesiobuccal canals of mandibular molars with an angle of curvature ranging from 20 to 40 were divided according to the instrument used in canal preparation into three groups of ten samples each: V-Taper 2H (Group 1), PN (Group 2), and Hyflex CM (Group 3). The teeth were instrumented according to manufacturer's guidelines up to 30 no. apical preparation. Canals were scanned using a CBCT scanner before and after preparation to evaluate the transportation and centering ratio at 3 mm, 6 mm, and 9 mm from the apex. The amount of transportation and centering ability was assessed. The three groups were statistically compared with analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey test. Results: All instruments maintained the original canal curvature with significant differences between the different files. Data suggested that V-Taper 2H files presented the best outcomes for both the variables evaluated. V-Taper 2H files caused lesser transportation and remained better centered in the canal than PN and Hyflex CM files. However, it was seen that PN caused less transportation in apical level than Hyflex CM. Conclusion: The canal preparation with V-Taper 2H showed lesser transportation and better centering ability than PN and Hyflex CM.


This paper applies evolutionary view to investigate the enterprise tech-innovation process and study the uncertainty of the routine, net environment and the innovational technique. In the end the measurement of risk is described as the uncertainty characteristic then induced the coherent characteristic between the risk and the uncertainty, which can be applied in the theory on the innovation management.


Researching efficiency of group-analytic treatment and following Foulkes' principle of the "group-as-a-whole", the methodology was applied. That enabled the evaluation of expected changes of group members individually, as well as the group-as-a-whole. In this study three small groups (20 patients) were followed up and changes were evaluated after second and after fourths years of group analysis. Two measuring instruments--The Life Style Index and Defence Mechanisms Scale (LS-DM) and Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory (MMPI-201) were applied. Each member of the group was assessed by self-evaluation as well as the group-as-a-whole. The results of the research indicated that changes of the personality occurred. Changes consisted in lowering of defensive activities that was tending towards more mature defences. Changes also consisted in lowering ratings on the pathological parts of the MMPI-scales reflecting shifting of the conflict level. The results could be predictive for positive outcome of group analysis. More studies are needed.


The latest innovation in the field of fashion comes in the form of 3D-printed clothing. This study explores the composition and characteristics of the shapes in the architecture of Zaha Hadid, a representative architectural designer who expresses space in three dimensions. Hadid applies his aesthetic to fashion design using these distinc-tive geometric shapes to create design motifs as well as develop new clothing material with 3D printing technology. The research was conducted as follows. First, the lines and arrangement of the geometric shapes in Zaha Ha-did's architecture were analyzed so that his design principles could be used as a theoretical basis for this study. The study also reviewed geometric fashion designs using 3D printing technology over the last ten years. Second, we developed triangular modules with rods and tongs that could be fashioned into clothing using fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers. Lastly, the 3D printing fashion design was developed to explore new silhoue-ttes, textures, and a novel way of producing clothing. This study hopes to serve as a stepping-stone for further research on innovations that combine fashion with technology.


The development of a neural interface that will allow signals from the human nervous system to control external equipment is extremely important for the next generation of prosthetic systems. A novel multichannel regeneration-type nerve electrode designed to record from and stimulate peripheral nerves has been developed to allow the control of artificial hands and to generate artificial sensations. In this study a novel flexible regeneration microelectrode based on the nerve regeneration principle was designed and fabricated using MEMS technologies. The electrode, which was fabricated on a 20-mum-thick parylene C substrate, has multiple fluidic channels. Each fluidic channel was 100 mum widetimes40 mum hightimes1500 mum long and featured multiple electrodes inside them as recording and stimulating sites. They also served as guidance channels for the regenerating axons. The authors are currently attempting to evaluate the probes using the sciatic nerve of rats


In "Reconsidering the Taxation of Foreign Income," Jim Hines analyzes the consequences of taxing, as opposed to exempting, active foreign business income by comparing the expected effects on capital ownership of a "pure" worldwide income taxation system with the effects on capital ownership of a "pure" territorial taxation regime. Consistent with his earlier work, Hines asserts that a capital ownership neutrality analysis supports exempting foreign active business income from home country residence taxation and points to global welfare losses from taxing income on a worldwide basis with a credit for foreign taxes.As he has previously, Hines sets up his discussion of capital ownership neutrality by criticizing the "older wisdom" of international tax policy that established a "tension between policies that maximize national welfare - NN - and policies that maximize global welfare - CEN." According to Hines, perhaps the most critical of the assumptions underlying the traditional investment location neutrality framework is that "home country taxation does not directly or indirectly affect foreign firms." Hines argues that if greater investment abroad triggers greater investment by foreign firms in the residence country, "[t]he NN implication that home countries maximize their own welfare by subjecting foreign income to taxation with only deductions for foreign income tax payments then no longer follows." If the productivity of an investment depends on its ownership (without regard to the location of the investment) and home and foreign firms compete for ownership of capital around the world, then taxation of foreign income (with a credit for foreign tax) does not necessarily contribute to production efficiency. Instead, Hines argues, different home country taxation resulting from worldwide taxation distorts optimal asset ownership and results in a global welfare loss. In the absence of a global adoption of worldwide taxation, Hines concludes that under an ownership neutrality analysis, exemption of foreign income advances national welfare.In considering the problem of allocation of expenses, Hines argues that, to assure ownership neutrality, it is not enough to exempt foreign net income. In addition, "general expenses," such as interest and general administrative overhead, should "not be allocated at all [between domestic and foreign income], but instead traced to their uses."Hines briefly considers the implications of certain practical complications, including transfer pricing and the difficulty of sourcing income, for his analysis. Hines suggests that allowing transfer pricing enforcement concerns to affect the policy prescription would have "a strong element of the transfer pricing tail wagging the tax system dog." In response to fairness questions raised by favorable treatment for foreign income, Hines argues that equity considerations in fact support a special regime for foreign income.This Commentary first considers the significance of ownership neutrality for economic efficiency based on observations of ownership arrangements in today's marketplace. It next probes certain premises of Hines' argument, including whether substituting foreign-owned for domestic-owned investment results in equal tax revenue from the investment and whether asset ownership is meaningfully linked to the method of double taxation relief employed by a residence country. I argue that the uncertainty of the explanatory power of ownership efficiency, and the limits of current empirical understanding of the effects of alternative international tax policies, makes ownership neutrality an unreliable guide for policy prescription.This Commentary next considers the effect of tracing indirect expenses, such as interest and general and administrative expense, and suggests this will result in an over-allocation of such expense to domestic income. I question whether it is desirable to further advantage foreign investment in light of the extent of questions regarding ownership neutrality as a policy guide. I then consider some of the "practical complications" briefly addressed by Hines, focusing on transfer pricing difficulties that make Hines' proposed exemption of foreign income (and the current system of deferral) problematic. This discussion supports evaluating policy changes at least in part on the basis of their expected effects on the business income tax base. The Commentary concludes with a brief consideration of Hines' comments on fairness.


The paper is a commentary on Christoph Horn's paper The Concept of Justice . It criticizes Horn's claim that justice is overrated in contemporary philosophical debate by discussing Horn's arguments. In doing so, it questions (1) the idea that we can easily distinguish between morally central and peripheral questions, as Horn claims; it points out (2) that this distinction is based on the values held by those who are drawing it; and finally (3) it stresses the centrality of the feeling of outrage provoked by the action whose acceptability is being challenged. Finally, it claims that morality arises from the experience of injustice and, therefore, that questions of justice are not only morally central; they are, rather, essential to morality.


emerge from basic behavioral research, yet surprisingly little is known about its principles of operation. The majority of research on the topic of timeout has been technological—demonstrating that timeout works—rather than analytical— why it works. This essay calls for a greater emphasis on the functional characteristics of timeout, the conditions under which it serves an aversive function, and for grounding empirical work in a theoretical framework. Such a return to the functional roots of timeout from reinforcement will advance not only the science of timeout but its successful application as well.


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Objective: To estimate the risk indicator of the future price of yellow corn #2 at the Chicago Futures Exchange (USA) regarding the spot price of white corn in the main producing regions in Mexico through the financial volatility indicator.
Methodology: The research used the returns of the monthly time series corresponding to the spot price of white corn from January 1998 to December 2020, considering five producer-consumer regions of Mexico and the future price of yellow corn #2 as listed on the Chicago Stock Exchange. To quantify volatility, the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model of order (1,1) was estimated.
Results: The yellow corn #2 volatility indicator was 0.9870 (future price). In the case of the spot price of white corn in Mexico, the volatility was 0.7977 for the national price, 0.3385 for the central region, 0.3206 for the western region, and 0.0078 for the southeast region.
Implications: The high volatility of yellow corn #2 (close to unity) shows that the international market for this commodity is riskier than the national market or regional markets in Mexico.
Conclusions: The national white corn market proved to be riskier than the west, center, and southeast regional markets, which have a higher volatility indicator.


The purpose of this study was to predict the uplift force during floods on confining layers that overlay extensive horizontal confined aquifers that intersect a large river in response to the water level changes that occur with time in a flooding river. Transient flow of water through the confined aquifer was described by a diffusion type of equation with a boundary condition at the river in which the river head varied with time. The transient head distribution developed from the unsteady flow model applied to the aquifer was compared with the hydraulic head distributions obtained from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers steady-state flow model and a finite-element seepage model. This study concluded that the transient flow model has the potential to analyze time lag in head development, and to predict the seepage condition and heaving potential at various times and distances landside of a levee during a flood cycle, but additional case histories are needed to justify widespread use of the model.


Background: Cancer, in particular mucinous adenocarcinomas, is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Tissue factor (TF), a transmembrane-receptor protein and initiator of coagulation, plays a central role in the paradigm that clotting and tumor growth form a vicious circle, in which hypercoagulability facilitates the aggressive biology of cancer and vice versa. Expression of TF is associated with poor differentiation of tumors and poor prognosis. We initiated a study in cancer patients, to find out whether microparticles (MP) derived from malignant epithelial cells, may directly initiate blood coagulation locally or at distant sites via TF expressed on these MP and play a critical role in the development of the hypercoagulability

Patients & Methods: MP were isolated from peripheral blood samples obtained from healthy subjects, and unselected cancer patients, i.e. patients with primary breast carcinoma (before and after surgery), with metastatic breast carcinoma and with pancreatic carcinoma. Tissue factor procoagulant activity associated with isolated MP was studied by factor VIIa dependent generation of factor Xa. MP were examined by flow cytrometric phenotyping, and electron and confocal immunofluorescence laser scanning microscopical examination.

Results: Compared to 37 healthy sujects, significantly increased levels of MP-associated TF activity were found in patients with disseminated breast and pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic (n=5) and breast cancer patients (n=2) who presented with clinically manifest venous thrombosis had a 18-fold increase in MP-associated TF activity as compared to healthy subjects or 6 subjects with idiopathic VTE (P<0.003). In all individuals most of the circulating MP expressed the platelet antigen CD61. MP expressing the epithelial antigen MUC1 -most likely derived from malignant cells- were found in 65% of metastatic breast and 59% of advanced c.q. metastatic pancreatic patients. Co-expression of CD61 and MUC1 on MPs was shown by flow cytometry and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy.

Conclusion: Highly elevated MP-associated TF activity significantly correlated with development of VTE and with the presence of circulating MUC1-positive MP, suggesting a decisive role in the pathogenesis of the prothrombotic state in cancer patients with disseminated mucinous carcinomas. Patients with a low level of TF-activity on MP that also lacked expression of mucin had a higher survival rate at 3–9 months follow-up than those with a high TF-activity and mucin present: the estimated risk of dying was about 0.42 (95% CI 0.19–0.94) for an individual with these 2 predictor variables present, adjusting for the other factors (age cohort, type of cancer, VTE) in the Cox proportional hazards model.


The aging of the population has become a global health problem. It is an important risk factor for major diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and cancer. Presently, there is no definite and effective anti-aging treatment. Chinese herbal medicine has a long history of application and is often used for aging-related diseases in China. A large number of clinical and preclinical studies on the anti-aging effect of Chinese herbal medicine has been performed. Through literature research, we reviewed the anti-aging clinical research of Chinese herbal medicine and preclinical research of Chinese herbal medicine monomers, components, extracts, and compounds, and their mechanisms. Results from preclinical studies have shown that Chinese herbal medicines have beneficial anti-aging effects. The mechanism mainly includes anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotection, apoptosis and mitochondrial function regulation, etc. However, more detailed high-quality clinical trials are required for future investigation of the anti-aging effects of Chinese herbal medicines.


Philosophical theories summarized here include regularity and necessity theories from Hume to the present; manipulability theory; the theory of powerful particulars; causation as connected changes within a defined state of affairs; departures from "normal" events or from some standard for comparison; causation as a transfer of something between objects; and causal propagation and production. Issues found in this literature and of relevance for psychology include whether actual causal relations can be perceived or known; what sorts of things people believe can be causes; different levels of causal analysis; the distinction between the causal relation itself and cues to causal relations; causal frames or fields; internal and external causes; and understanding of causation in different realms of the world, such as the natural and artificial realms. A full theory of causal inference by laypeople should address all of these issues. The main purpose of this article is to survey philosophical theories of causation in a manner intended to be suitable for psychologists interested in causation. The article has two sections: The first presents brief summaries of philosophical theories of causation from Aristotle to the present. In the second, issues found in the philosophical literature are used to suggest new approaches to the study of causation in psychology.


The study addresses the tensions between the aims and objectives of global, national and local curricula and suggests solutions for mitigating these conflicts using the experience of Estonia as an example. In spite of the success of recent reforms and the good results of students in international comparisons, there are serious deficiencies: an Estonian teacher's readiness to use professional freedom is modest, personal efficiency, job satisfaction, and students' motivation to learn is low: there are few outstanding performers. The aim of the study is to propose and analyse a teacher education curriculum innovation model for overcoming the problem. Adaptive model for curriculum design is presented where the predominant outcomeoriented approach was replaced and focus on teaching and learning processes was highlighted, the logic of design in curriculum development was implemented. A model for the practice component of teacher education, based on Wenger`s situated learning model and Engeström's expansive learning model, is in the focus. It is found that implementing this approach could encourage a development of standards and transform the attitudes of both students and teachers towards increased creativity and professional development. The implementation of the described curriculum innovation model enhances new type of learning and can generate new modules in teacher education curricula.


The α-Fe2O3 Nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by Sol-Gel method and the powder was calcinated at 4000. SEM, XRD, FTIR, EDX studies were carried out for characterization. The XRD confirmed that nanoparticles were Hematite (α-Fe2O3 ) having  crystalline size of 11.55nm which confirms the Hematite(α-Fe2O3) on comparison with obtained spectra against Joint Committee on Powder Diffraction Standards Database(JCPDS) and SEM morphology indicated that  IronOxide Nanoparticles were of flower shape at higher magnifications . The FTIR showed the bonds between functional groups and Fe-O group, O-H bending and vibration bonds. The presence  of  FeO, Fe, C, in nanomaterial was confirmed by EDX . Synthesized iron oxide α-Fe2O3 (Hematite) crystalline size of 11.55nm was used in the study of photo catalytic reduction of Cadmium (II) .Different parameters like Metal concentration, Dosage of Nanoparticles, Contact time and pH were studied. pH maintained for the solutions of different concentrations were 4,5,6,7 and 10. Concentration of cadmium solution taken for the study were 2,4,6,8 and 10ppm. Keeping concentration and dosage constant, pH was varied. Then concentration was varied by keeping dosage and pH constant. Then dosage was varied by keeping concentration and pH constant. Dosage of iron oxide taken was 50 mg, 75mg, 100mg, 125 mg and 150mg. It was observed that photo catalytic reduction by Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP)  was  more effective at metal concentration 4ppm, IONP dosage 100mg, pH 5, and contact time of 150 min with 97.02%  reduction of Cadmium (II).


During crystallization of a granitic magma, copper is shown to prefer octahedral sites, be they in the melt or in crystalline phases. Burns and Fyfe (1964) showed that the Al 2 O 3 /(K 2 O + Na 2 O + CaO) ratio of the magma is proportional to the number of octahedral sites available in the melt. A relatively large alumina/alkali ratio will mean more octahedral sites in the melt, a higher retention of copper in the melt, and, thus, a greater likelihood of porphyry-type mineralization, as the copper will still be in the melt at the hydrothermal stage. A comparison of this alumina/alkali ratio for mineralized and barren intrusives in the southwestern U. S. porphyry belt and in the Caribbean indicates that this relationship holds true. Generally speaking, for Laramide intrusives, mineralized stocks have a normative corundum content 2.5 weight percent greater than that of barren intrusives. This result suggests that in composite intrusives the more aluminous ones are better targets for porphyry mineralization and that early formed ferromagnesian minerals from mineralized intrusives should be copper deficient compared to barren systems (Kesler et al., 1975a).


Abstract Studies were conducted in 2005 and 2006 at three Iowa locations to determine the effect of soybean seeding rate and glyphosate application timing on weed management and grain yields in glyphosate-resistant soybean. End-of-season weed populations were affected by soybean seeding rate at only one location, with higher weed densities present in the lowest seeding rate when glyphosate was applied at the V2 soybean growth stage. Although weed populations were not consistently affected by soybean population, weed biomass present at soybean harvest was inversely related to soybean population. At the location with the highest weed populations, no single glyphosate application provided yields equivalent to the weed-free control. At the other locations, glyphosate application timing did not affect soybean yield. Lower soybean yields occurred with 240,000 seed/ha compared with 420,000 seed/ha at all locations and with 300,000 seed/ha at two locations. Nomenclature: Glyphosate; soybean, Glycine max L


Individual mobility deficit in older adults induces a variety of medical conditions, diminishing their functional capacity in pursuing activities of daily living. In immobility syndrome patients, such conditions are prone further deterioration through a drastically reduced scope of physical activity, owing mostly to poor self-motivation and the monotonous character of conventional rehabilitation regimens. As evidenced by published research, virtual reality technology solutions in rehabilitation management actually add significantly to patients' self-motivation, while promoting their active involvement in therapy through visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic stimuli. Effective rehabilitation training aided by virtual reality solutions helps patients acquire specific physical and cognitive skills to be subsequently emulated in the real-world environment. The extra added advantage lies in facilitating such training within patients' own home environments, combined with online monitoring of their progress, when not personally supervised by a physiotherapist, which also boosts the overall cost effectiveness of the therapeutic management itself. This narrative review appears to be the very first one principally focused on critically comparing individual immobilisation with immobility syndrome, especially through the application of the Authors' own substantial hands-on therapeutic experience in managing various rehabilitation schemes, specifically aided by diverse virtual reality technology solutions.


The diffusion and size distribution of chromium aerosols with particle sizes between 0·002 and 0·01 μm have been investigated with Nolan-Pollak nucleus counters. It is shown that there is a considerable decay in particle concentration by diffusion to the internal surfaces of the counter during normal operation if particle size is less than 0·01 μm. Measurements indicate that the decay corresponds closely to that given by the theory of diffusion from a stationary aerosol in a long cylinder. This result leads to a simple `static decay' method of size estimation which is compared with the diffusion battery method.


(WITH 15 FIGURES) The genus Conidiobolus was described by Brefeld (1884) with C. utriculosus Bref. as the type species isolated from the fleshy fruiting bodies of Hirneola and Exidia, members of the Tremellaceae. Costantin (1897) described Boudierella coronata Cost. which was later changed to Delacroixia coronata (Cost.) Sacc. & Sydow (1899) since the former name was pre-empted. This fungus is identical to Conidiobolus villosus Martin (1925) and until recently was called Entomophthora coronata (Cost.) Kevorkian. Srinivasan and Thirumalachar (1964) showed that the fungus has hypha-like conidiophores and is a species of Conidiobolus, and proposed the name C. coronatus (Cost.) Srin. & Thirum. This fungus is widely distributed and has been shown to be a potential pathogen on insects (Hall and Dunn, 1957; Prasertphon, 1963), inciting phycomycosis of horses (Emmons and Bridges, 1961) and man (Bras et al. 1965). Couch (1939) gave detailed cultural studies on C. brefeldianus Couch. Extensive studies on Conidiobolus species were initiated by Drechsler (1952) who described a method for their isolation and also showed that they are ubiquitous in nature, being associated with plant detritus and decaying vegetative matter. His publications embodying descriptions of 25 new species have contributed a great deal of information on the genus. Some of the Conidiobolus species have gained industrial importance as producers of proteolytic enzymes (Whitehill et al. 1960). There has been a paucity of studies on Conidiobolus species and no serious attempts have been made to isolate and study these fungi in most microbiological laboratories. The only record of Conidiobolus species from England is that of Dring (1958) who reported C. rhysosporus Drechsl. in association with apothecia of Ascobolus. In the course of our studies during the last 5 years in India, we have obtained a number of Conidiobolus isolates including 10 new species. With the increase in number of species, the need for a good morphological basis for their separation has been keenly felt. The


The purpose of the paper is to review some previous researches examining ICT efficiency and the impact of ICT on educational output/outcome as well as different conceptual and methodological issues related to performance measurement. Moreover, a definition, measurements and the empirical application of a model measuring the efficiency of ICT use and its impact at national levels will be considered. For this purpose, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique is presented and then applied to selected EU-27 and OECD countries. The empirical results show that the efficiency of ICT, when taking educational outputs/outcomes into consideration, differs significantly across the great majority of EU and OECD countries. The analysis of the varying levels of (output-oriented) efficiency (under the VRSTE framework) shows that Finland, Norway, Belgium and Korea are the most efficient countries in terms of their ICT sectors. Finally, the analysis finds evidence that most of the countries under consideration hold great potential for increased efficiency in ICT and for improving their educational outputs and outcomes.


Grinding aid chemicals which are used in the grinding of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to prevent agglomeration are chemisorbed on the surfaces of particles, and the compatibility of them with the solvent, water, or organic resin affects the dispersion of the minerals and ultimately down-stream product properties in consumer industries such as paint, papermaking, and plastic. This study tries to explain the effects of triethanolamine (TEA) and monoethylene glycol (MEG), which are most commonly used as grinding aids, on the behavior of CaCO3 in water-based paints and on the properties of the paints. The powder properties of CaCO3 (grain size, color, surface area, oil absorption capacity, zeta potential, etc.) were characterized, and the changes in the can stability, ease of application, and optical properties (gloss, opacity) of the paints were revealed with rheological and optical analysis. It was observed that amine compounds remained in higher amounts on the CaCO3 surface and created negative results in the paint. On the other hand, glycol compound adhered less on the CaCO3 surface and affected the properties of the final product less than the amine compound. Therefore, CaCO3 ground without using any chemicals gives the best results in terms of long-term stability, ease of application, and visuality of the paint.


The partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) modeling based on geometrical optics discrete complex image method (GODCIM) is proposed. In GODCIM, the spectral domain dyadic Green's functions for layered media (DGFLM) are expanded into a geometrical optics series. The coefficient of each term is related to the Green's function for a half-space problem and then is expanded into an exponential series with frequency-independent parameters, which avoids the repeated computations of the complex images at each frequency brought by the conventional discrete complex image method (DCIM) and facilitates its application to the PEEC method to solve the layer medium problems. To address the low-frequency breakdown issue in PEEC modeling, a capacitor-opened (CO) model is introduced, which leads to fewer unknowns comparing with modified nodal analysis (MNA) model. The calculation errors between CO and MNA model are verified to be negligible. Easy switching between CO model and modified loop analysis (MLA) model is realized by a switching criterion based on Kalman filter which leads to a full spectrum simulation from dc to high frequencies. Numerical results ranged from Hz to 30 GHz are given to validate the proposed method.


The F theorem states that, for a unitary three dimensional quantum field theory, the F quantity defined in terms of the partition function on a three sphere is positive, stationary at fixed point and decreases monotonically along a renormalization group flow. We construct holographic renormalization group flows corresponding to relevant deformations of three-dimensional conformal field theories on spheres, working to quadratic order in the source. For these renormalization group flows, the F quantity at the IR fixed point is always less than F at the UV fixed point, but F increases along the RG flow for deformations by operators of dimension $3/2 < \Delta < 5/2$. Therefore the strongest version of the F theorem is in general violated.


Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA) are related dementias with different presenting symptoms but with increasing symptom overlap as they progress. Loss of insight is associated with early behavioral variant FTD, but not PPA. This study used the Frontal Behavioral Inventory to compare patient and caregiver concepts of symptom presence and severity. Patients with behavioral variant FTD were found to have worse insight overall than PPA patients. However, the PPA group showed reduced insight into behavioral symptoms, and the behavioral variant FTD groups had intact insight into some language symptoms. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.


Background:The class I HOX gene family consists of 39 members with a shared highly conserved 61-amino acid homeodomain motif. HOX genes are important regulators of developmental processes, and their role in neoplastic transformation and tumor progression is increasingly recognized (Abate-Shen et al., Nat Rev Cancer, 2002; Cantile et al., Eur J Cancer, 2003). However, the molecular mechanisms by which HOX proteins promote tumorigenesis is not well understood. We recently, observed that HOXB9, a 9th HOX gene paralogue involved in mouse mammay gland development, is deregulated in breast cancer and enhanced expression correlated with high tumor grade. A role for elevated HoxB9 expression in breast tumor progression is demontrated by its ability to activate the ErbB and TGF-B pathways which influence tumor-associated phenotypes in cells.Methods and results:Overexpression of HOXB9 was found in 43% of primary breast cancer by RT-PCR and in situ hybridization (Figure 1A) and correlated with high tumor grade. Ectopic expression of HOXB9 in MCF10A mammary epithelial cells induced EMT, cell migration, invasion (Figure 1B, and 1C). It also increased the expression of angiogenic factors, which enhance the formation of new vessels in mouse dorsal air sac model. Conversely, genetic ablation of endogenous HOXB9 in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells suppresses their motility and angiogenic potential. Further, we confirmed that HOXB9-induced tumor phenotypes arise through the activation of both ErbB-AKT and TGFs signaling pathways. Finally, in mouse xenograft model, we observed that HOXB9 cooperates with activated H-Ras to transform mammary epithelial cells leading to large, vascularized and invasive tumors (Figure 2).Discussion:Our findings imply that overexpression of HOXB9 in human breast cancer contributes to tumor progression through activation of signaling pathways that alter both tumor-specific cell fates and tumor-stromal microenvironment, leading to increased invasion and metastasis. It is suggested that combined suppression of ErbB and TGFs signaling pathways to target breast cancers overexpressing HOXB9 may be effective in tumor inhibition. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 6145.


a Dilute dispersions of poly(lauryl methacrylate) – poly(benzyl methacrylate) (PLMA – PBzMA) diblock copolymer spheres (a.k.a. micelles) of di ff ering mean particle diameter were mixed and thermally annealed at 150 (cid:1) C to produce spherical nanoparticles of intermediate size. The two initial dispersions were prepared via reversible addition – fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerization of benzyl methacrylate in n -dodecane at 90 (cid:1) C. Systematic variation of the mean degree of polymerization of the core-forming PBzMA block enabled control over the mean particle diameter: small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis indicated that PLMA 39 – PBzMA 97 and PLMA 39 – PBzMA 294 formed well-de fi ned, non-interacting spheres at 25 (cid:1) C with core diameters of 21 (cid:3) 2 nm and 48 (cid:3) 5 nm, respectively. When heated separately, both types of nanoparticles regained their original dimensions during a 25 – 150 – 25 (cid:1) C thermal cycle. However, the cores of the smaller nanoparticles became appreciably solvated when annealed at 150 (cid:1) C, whereas the larger nanoparticles remained virtually non-solvated at this temperature. Moreover, heating caused a signi fi cant reduction in mean aggregation number for the PLMA 39 – PBzMA 97 nanoparticles, suggesting their partial dissociation at 150 (cid:1) C. Binary mixtures of PLMA 39 – PBzMA 97 and PLMA 39 – PBzMA 294 nanoparticles were then studied over a wide range of compositions. For example, annealing a 1.0% w/w equivolume binary mixture led to the formation of a single population of spheres of intermediate mean diameter (36 (cid:3) 4 nm). Thus we hypothesize that the individual PLMA 39 – PBzMA 97 chains interact with the larger PLMA 39 – PBzMA 294 nanoparticles to form the hybrid nanoparticles. Time-resolved SAXS studies con fi rm that the evolution in copolymer morphology occurs on relatively short time scales (within 20 min at 150 (cid:1) C) and involves weakly anisotropic intermediate species. Moreover, weakly anisotropic nanoparticles can be obtained as a fi nal copolymer morphology over a restricted range of compositions ( e.g. for PLMA 39 – PBzMA 97 volume fractions of 0.20 – 0.35) when heating dilute dispersions of such binary nanoparticle mixtures up to 150 (cid:1) C. A mechanism involving both chain expulsion/insertion and micelle fusion/ fi ssion is proposed to account for these unexpected observations.


The new balancing method is the result of attempts through current practice towards satisfying the objective of an ideal balancing process. Balancing of the rotor as it spins, does not generate debris, simple, low cost and reliable. Experimental simulator is fabricated for implementing this balancing technique. Fabricated model consists of two hollow shafts, heating coil, slip ring, carbon brushes, pulley, journal bearing, wooden platform, coupling and motor.A new method has been devised that allows a rotor to be balanced as it rotates, without physical contact. The method accomplishes balance correction by means of local heating under the action of centrifugal forces. The important aspects of this new method are location of heating coil, local heating method and method of producing controlled deformation has been modeled analytically and experimentally


Web applications providing services customized for individual users have become common. Such applications require very high performance though the available development time is very short. Therefore, we need a very flexible and high performance platform for such customized Web applications. In this paper, we introduce an agent server technology based on an "agent-oriented programming model" for developing Web applications and show how the technology addresses issues in such Web application development.


The use of knowledge management (KM) and communication tools in an applied scientific arena where research is performed and knowledge must be managed within and across multidisciplinary teams and organizations is a challenge. Teams of scientists and engineers from up to 17 different technical specialties required knowledge management tools for developing multiple environmental impact statements under challenging circumstances. Factors that contributed to the success of the KM tools included 1) pairing of project staff with Knowledge Systems staff to determine system requirements, 2) the use of the tools by the team as they were being developed thus allowing many opportunities for feedback and interaction, 3) developing the tools to approximate the overall project structure and work flow already in place, 4) providing immediate assistance to the project team as they learned to use the new KM tools, and 5) replacing earlier practices with the new KM approach by "burning the bridges" to past practices after the team had learned to use the new KM tools.


A central theoretical assumption in classical psychophysics is that people judge the intensities of stimulus elements; for example, observers directly report the loudness of a tone or the intensity of a shock. A methodological assumption in classical psychophysics is that averaged data demonstrate this theoretical view. It is shown in this article that both assumptions are wrong and that the psychophysical laws of Weber, Fechner, and Stevens are not general. Rather, psychophysical judgments are made in relation to contexts and memories, measures of which provide new information about psychophysical judgments and new understandings of channel capacity, the local-global distinction, and the source of noise in signal detection theory.


OBJECTIVE
We have become aware of several commercial products that, when orally ingested, will purportedly not only eliminate "toxins" from a person's system, but will also correct any urinary imbalances caused by excessive water consumption.

METHOD
Unblinded study of one volunteer subject, tested weekly x 4 for 24-hour urine elimination of test drug under conditions of control, control plus 1200 mL water, Quick Flush', and Eliminator.

RESULTS
Each of the treatment protocols studied caused reductions of drug or metabolite concentrations as measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in urine specimens collected up to 24 hours after ingestion of amphetamine, 9-carboxy-11-nor-delta-9-THC, benzoylecgonine, or codeine, yet the radioimmunoassay screening results demonstrated very little effect. Water alone was approximately as effective as the two commercial products in reducing the metabolite level. None of the treatment protocols employed in this study altered urinary pH, specific gravity, or creatinine concentration outside the normally accepted physiological range.

CONCLUSIONS
Attempts to conceal drug abuse by water dilution are most likely to play a substantial role when concentrations are at or near the detection threshold for a particular assay such as the terminal stages of drug eliminations.


This paper considers a variation of the Vidale-Wolfe advertising model for which the maximum value of the objective function and the form of the optimal feedback advertising control are identical in both a deterministic and a stochastic environment. The stochastic environment is due to a white noise disturbance introduced in the deterministic sales-advertising dynamics.


The disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact in the transition of the new graduate nurse to independent practice. This article describes the conversion of a nurse residency program from a traditional classroom to a virtual setting and the barriers the team encountered. Curriculum changes and processes are described, including ideas for future implementation. These processes may be used as a guide for other institutions.


Thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) has been used to treat myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism in humans. This plasminogen activator may also be useful in treating certain strokes. We infused tPA or saline in rabbits 15 minutes after selective internal carotid artery embolization with 18‐hour aged autologous clot. By serial angiography, the tPA‐treated group demonstrated rapid angiographic reperfusion of the occluded vascular territory in 7 of 8 animals, whereas none of 6 saline controls did. None of the animals in either group developed macroscopic cerebral hemorrhage. Both groups showed cerebral infarction, predominantly in the territory of the occluded vessel; the extent of infarction did not differ between tPA‐treated animals and controls. Early tPA therapy can allow reperfusion of occluded cerebral arteries safely and effectively in a rabbit cerebral embolization model.


Electron microscope images of negatively stained fibrinogen are predominantly asymmetric rods 450 A in length and about 60 A in width. The molecules appear to have considerable flexibility, and mass distribution along the major axis is not uniquely distinguished despite apparent beading in some particles. Scanning transmission electron microscopy of unstained fibrinogen again demonstrates that a majority of molecules are rodlike. The results differ from those obtained by negative staining in that a substantial fraction of images are trinodular with striking resemblance to those obtained by C. E. Hall and H. S. Slayter [J. Biophys. Biochem. Cytol. (1959) 5, 11--16] using the mica replica technique. The above results were obtained on glow-discharged carbon substrate films by a simple low-concentration, long-attachment-time modification of standard deposition methods that is diffusion controlled and depends on concentration and time but is independent of pH, buffer, and other staining conditions. Evidence is presented that standard attachment procedures result in artifactual images. Any models of fibrinogen in solution consequently must encompass properties that permit its visualization as an asymmetetric rod by electron microscopy as first suggested by Hall and Slayter 20 years ago.


The VUV spectroscopic study of -particle-excited neon-krypton mixtures showed the occurrence of intense energy transfers from neon to krypton. The spectra of mixtures containing a few per cent krypton are similar to those of pure krypton. They are dominated by krypton's second continuum centred at 148 nm, its intensity increasing with the krypton concentration and the total pressure. Furthermore, a low-intensity emission due to the heteronuclear ion situated at 166.5 nm was also observed. The kinetic study of the second continuum of krypton revealed that heteronuclear reactions play an important role in the formation of at low krypton partial pressures. Their reaction constants were found to be for the state and for . Under high krypton pressures, homonuclear reactions were dominant, the reaction constant being for the state and for .


A series of pyrimidine nucleoside analogues containing [2',5'-bis-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-3'-spiro-5''-(4''-amino- 1'',2''-oxathiole-2'',2''-dioxide)]-beta-D-ribofuranose as the pentose were found to inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 [HIV-1(IIIB)] replication at a concentration of 0.06-0.8 microM but were not cytotoxic at a 1000- to 10,000-fold higher concentration. These nucleoside derivatives were also effective against various other HIV-1 strains, including those resistant to 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine, but not against HIV-2, simian immunodeficiency virus, Moloney murine sarcoma virus, or other RNA or DNA viruses. They proved to be highly specific inhibitors of the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase function of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, showing no marked inhibition of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase-associated DNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity, HIV-2 reverse transcriptase, DNA polymerase alpha, herpes simplex virus 1 DNA polymerase, or Thermus aquaticus DNA polymerase.


We introduce and evaluate a feasible end-to-end congestion control algorithm for overcoming the severe deficiencies of TCP in IEEE 802.11 multihop wireless networks. Our approach, which we denote as TCP with Adaptive Pacing (TCP-AP), implements rate-based scheduling of transmissions within the TCP congestion window. The TCP source adaptively sets its transmission rate using an estimate of the current out-of-interference delay and the coefficient of variation of recently measured round-trip times. TCP-AP retains the end-to-end semantics of TCP and neither relies on modifications at the routing or the link layer nor requires cross-layer information from intermediate nodes along the path. As opposed to previous proposals that build on network simulators, we implement and evaluate our approach in a real wireless mesh test-bed comprising 20 nodes. In a comprehensive comparative performance study using our test-bed, we show that, depending on the current network state and traffic patterns, TCP-AP achieves up to 10 times more goodput than TCP NewReno, provides excellent fairness, and is highly responsive to changing network traffic conditions.


covariates. Risk groups were defined as the combination of grade (high, low) and stage (Tis, Ta, T1). A cumulative hazards curve for each risk group was created, and timepoint hazards were estimated via the derivative of the cumulative hazards. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 10 years, and median age at diagnosis was 71. There were 212 TaLG, 110 T1HG, 72 TaHG and 11 TisHG patients. Median time to recurrence was 283 days for TaLG; 190 days for TaHG; 119 days for T1HG; and 114 days for TisHG. Recurrence rates were 59.4% for TaLG, 66.7% for TaHG, 72.7% for T1HG and 27% for TisHG. Alive patients under surveillance without a recurrence were 9 for TisHG; 159 for TaLG; 57 for TaHG; and 84 for T1HG. Tumor number was the strongest predictor of recurrence (coefficient [ 0.071) followed by tumor size (0.045). After 6 years, all patients showed low risk of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor number was most predictive of recurrence, and after 6 years, all patients without disease carried low risk for recurrence. These findings suggest that surveillance cystoscopy, particularly in those with unifocal tumors and no recurrences, may be unnecessary beyond 6 years after diagnosis in select patients.


Oxovanadium(IV) -derived antifungals have been prepared by condensing equimolar amounts of vanadyl sulfate with hydrazides. All the synthesized ligands and their metal complexes were characterized by IR, UV–Visible and micro analytical data. These synthesized compounds were screened for their antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus), Trichophyton longifusus (T. longifusus), Candida albicans (C. albicans), Microsporum canis (M. canis), Fusarium solani (F. solani) and Candida glaberata (C. glaberata) fungal strains. All complexes showed promising antifungal activity against different fungal strains with the exception of F. Solani and C. glaberata. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of different complexes and ligands are in the range of 250 to 400 μg/mL. Complex 7a and ligand 13 exhibit lowest MIC of 250 μg/mL whereas, complex 5a and ligands 2, 7 and 14 showed highest MIC of 400 μg/mL.


This work presents a spectrally accurate method for electromagnetic scattering from objects with complex permittivity embedded in a layered medium. Two-dimensional (2D) layered medium Green's functions are computed adaptively by using Gaussian quadratures. The singular terms in the Green's functions and the non-smooth terms in their derivatives are handled appropriately to achieve exponential convergence. Numerical results, compared with the ones obtained by using other methods, demonstrate the spectral accuracy and high efficiency of the proposed method.


Cutaneous angiosarcoma (CAS) is an endothelial cell-derived, highly aggressive type of vascular tumour. Although chemoradiotherapy with paclitaxel (PTX) is recognized as a first-line therapy for CAS, second-line therapy for CAS remains controversial, and there is no standard therapy for taxane-resistant CAS. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is associated with poor clinical outcomes, and elevated levels of PAI-1 in both tissue and serum are correlated with poor response to therapy in various cancers, including skin cancers. Since PAI-1 protects endothelial cells from Fas ligand-mediated apoptosis, PAI-1 inhibition might induce apoptosis of endothelial cell-derived tumours such as CAS. This is a single-arm, open-label, multi-institutional, Phase 2 clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of PTX in combination with TM5614 (PAI-1 inhibitor) in patients with PTX-resistant CAS. PTX will be administered for 28 weeks, with oral administration of TM5614. The primary endpoint of this study will be the overall response rate (ORR) at 28 weeks after starting treatment (central image evaluation). The secondary endpoint will include the ORR at 28 weeks after starting treatment (investigator evaluation), ORR at 8 weeks and 16 weeks after initiation of treatment (central and investigator evaluation), progression-free survival, overall survival, disease control rate and safety profiles. Assuming the null hypothesis of a response rate of 13.6% and an alternative hypothesis of 45%, a minimum of 15 patients are required to achieve a two-sided, Type I error of 5% and power of 70% based on the exact binomial distribution. Data quality control will be conducted by a combination of centralized (remote) and on-site monitoring. This study will contribute to the development of novel combination therapy for PTX-resistant CAS patients, which remains an unmet clinical need.


The usefulness of intracerebral neutralization, intraperitoneal neutralization, and complement-fixation tests for the diagnosis of human cases of western equine encephalomyelitis and St. Louis encephalitis was compared. In cases of western equine encephalomyelitis it was found that the use of all three tests assisted in making the diagnosis, but that each method failed to demonstrate a significant antibody increase in more than one-fifth of the cases. In cases of St. Louis encephalitis the intraperitoneal neutralization test was the most useful method. The intracerebral neutralization test showed an increase in antibody in only 7 of 20 cases. Complement-fixation tests were valuable in the diagnosis of both western equine encephalomyelitis and St. Louis encephalitis.


A total of 37 cases of ovarian primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)-19 associated with a dermoid cyst (SCCD), seven associated with endometriosis (SCCE), and 11 pure (SCCP)-are described. The last 18 cases belong within the new World Health Organization category of SCC in the surface epithelial-stromal category. The 19 patients with SCCD were 21-75 (mean, 52) years old; three of the carcinomas were in situ and seven, six, and three tumors were stages I, II, and III, respectively. The tumors and associated dermoid cysts were 6-35 cm in greatest dimension, usually forming mural nodules with intracavitary protrusion and focal necrosis and hemorrhage; two, seven, and seven tumors were grades 1, 2, and 3, respectively. SCCD was focally associated with a columnar epithelial cyst lining in 13 cases, suggesting an origin therein. One patient with stage I, grade 1 SCCD also had squamous cell carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the cervix. The seven patients with SCCE were 29-70 (mean, 49) years old, and one, three, one, and two tumors were stages I, II, III, and IV, respectively; all of the tumors were grade 3. One was associated with squamous cell carcinoma in situ of the cervix. The 11 patients with SCCP were 27-73 (mean, 56) years old, and one, four, five, and one tumors were stages I, II, III, and IV, respectively. The tumors were 6-26 cm in greatest diameter, usually solid with focal necrosis; one and 10 tumors were grades 2 and 3, respectively. Three patients with SCCP also had cervical squamous cell carcinoma in situ. The patients with SCCE had a poorer overall survival than those with SCCD. Five of the six patients with SCCE for whom adequate follow-up information was available died of their disease (mean survival, 5 months); also, in all five cases of SCCE reported in the literature, the patients died of their disease (mean survival, 4 months). The stage of the tumor and its grade correlated best with overall survival for all three types of SCC.


In this paper, we propose two new deterministic interpolation algorithms for a sparse multivariate polynomial given as a standard black-box by introducing new Kronecker type substitutions.Let $f\\in~\\RB[x_1,\\ldots,x_n]$ be a sparse black-box polynomial with a degree bound $D$.When $\\RB$ equals $\\C$ or a finite field, our algorithms either have better bit complexity or better bit complexity in $D$ than existing deterministic algorithms.In particular, in the case of deterministic algorithms for standard black-box models, our second algorithm has the current best complexity in $D$ which is the dominant factor in the complexity.


Cholesterol is critical for tumor cells to maintain their membrane components, cell morphology and activity functions. The inhibition of the cholesterol pathway may be an efficient strategy with which to limit tumor growth and the metastatic process. In the present study, lanosterol synthase (LSS) was knocked down by transfecting LSS short hairpin RNA into HepG2 cells, and cell growth, apoptosis and migratory potential were then detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 cell proliferation assay, flow cytometric analysis and wound healing assay, respectively. In addition, proteins associated with the regulation of the aforementioned cell biological behaviors were analyzed by western blot analysis. The activity of the Src/MAPK signaling pathway was measured by western blotting to elucidate the possible signal transduction mechanisms. LSS knockdown in the HepG2 liver cancer cell line inhibited cell proliferation, with cell cycle arrest at the S phase; it also decreased cell migratory ability and increased apoptosis. The expression proteins involved in the regulation of cell cycle, cell apoptosis and migration was altered by LSS knockdown in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, a decreased Src/MAPK activity was observed in the HepG2 cells subjected to LSS knockdown. LSS loss of function decreased the malignant phenotypes of HepG2 cells by deactivating the Src/MAPK signaling pathway and regulating expression of genes involved in cell cycle regulation, cell apoptosis and migration.


RATIONALE
Pleural infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The recently developed RAPID (renal, age, purulence, infection source, and dietary factors) score consists of five clinical factors that can identify patients at risk for increased mortality.

OBJECTIVES
The objective of this study was to further validate the RAPID score in a diverse cohort, identify factors associated with mortality, and provide long-term outcomes.

METHODS
We evaluated a single-center retrospective cohort of 187 patients with culture-positive pleural infections. Patients were classified by RAPID scores into low-risk (0-2), medium-risk (3-4), and high-risk (5-7) groups. The Social Security Death Index was used to determine date of death. All-cause mortality was assessed at 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years. Clinical factors and comorbid conditions were evaluated for association.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Three-month mortality for low-, medium-, and high-risk groups was 1.5, 17.8, and 47.8%, respectively. Increased odds were observed among medium-risk (odds ratio, 14.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-112.6; P = 0.01) and high-risk groups (odds ratio, 53.3; 95% confidence interval, 6.8-416.8; P < 0.01). This trend continued at 1, 3, and 5 years. Factors associated with high-risk scores include gram-negative rod infections, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, lung disease, and increased length of stay.

CONCLUSIONS
When applied to a diverse patient cohort, the RAPID score predicts outcomes in patients up to 5 years and may aid in long-term risk stratification on presentation.


The presentation concerns a method that obtains the size and frequency of vocal tremor in speech sounds sustained by normal speakers and patients suffering from neurological disorders. The glottal cycle lengths are tracked in the temporal domain via salience analysis and dynamic programming. The cycle length time series is then decomposed into a sum of oscillating components by empirical mode decomposition the instantaneous envelopes and frequencies of which are obtained via an AM-FM decomposition. Based on their average instantaneous frequencies , the empirical modes are then assigned to four categories (intonation, physiological tremor, neurological tremor as well as jitter) and added within each. The within-category size of the cycle length perturbations is estimated via the standard deviation of the empirical mode sum divided by the average cycle length. The tremor frequency within the neurological tremor category is obtained via a weighted instantaneous average of the mode frequencies followed by a weighted temporal average. The method is applied to two corpora of vowels sustained by 123 and 74 control and 456 and 205 Parkinson speakers respectively .


BACKGROUND
The widespread use of antiretroviral therapy has prolonged the survival of people living with HIV (PLWH). Among these patients, co-existing cardiovascular diseases, particularly left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD), are receiving increasing attention.

METHODS
We recruited 386 patients in the PLWH group and 386 sex- and age (± 3 years)-matched individuals in the HIV-negative group, and used logistic regression to determine the risk factors of LVDD.

RESULTS
Compared to the HIV-negative group, PLWH had a significantly higher prevalence of smoking (p < .001), alcohol consumption (p < .001), hypertension (p = .002), diabetes (p = .020), and hyperlipidemia (p < .001) and a lower prevalence of body mass index (BMI) ≥ 24.0 kg/m2 (p < .001). The prevalence of LVDD on echocardiography was significantly higher in PLWH than in the HIV-negative group (25.9% vs 16.1%, p = .001). The multivariate analysis showed that non-youth (OR = 8.666; 95%CI = 4.310-17.459; p < .001), BMI ≥ 24.0 kg/m2 (OR = 1.992; 95% CI = 1.007-3.939; p = .048), hypertension (OR = 1.888; 95% CI = 1.044-3.415; p = .036), hyperlipidemia (OR = 1.911; 95% CI = 1.068-3.418; p = .029), and HIV infection (OR = 2.003; 95%CI = 1.341-2.992; p = .001) were risk factors for LVDD.

CONCLUSION
The rate of echocardiographic abnormalities was higher in PLWH. LVDD was associated with non-youth, BMI ≥ 24.0 kg/m2, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and living with HIV.


PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the direct and mediation effects of small- and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) ecopreneurship posture (EP), green inbound practices (GIP), green production practices (GPP), green outbound practices (GOP), community-based performance (CBP) and green competitiveness (GC).Design/methodology/approachEmpirical data for the study were garnered by utilizing questionnaire from Ghanaian manufacturing SMEs. Structural equation modeling, specifically partial least squares is applied to test the hypothesized relationships.FindingsThe findings suggest that SMEs' EP, GIP and GPP have significant positive effects on CBP and GC. However, while GOP has a significant effect on GC, it has no significant effect on CBP. Moreover, the mediation result demonstrates that while GIP and GPP significantly mediates the relationship between SMEs' EP and CBP, GOP does not provide any mediation mechanism through which SMEs' EP influence CBP. The result further confirms the mediation roles of GIP, GPP and GOP between SMEs' EP and GC.Originality/valueThis research offers novel empirical evidence by exploring the mediation roles of GIP, GPP and GOP between EP, CBP and GC through the lenses of the natural resource-based view and stakeholder theoretical perspectives.


This work presents synthesis and characterization of polyamide-carbon nanotube (CNT) composite membranes for purification of ethanol. The solution-casting method was applied for preparation of nanocomposite membranes. The nanocomposite membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy to ensure the fine dispersion of nanoparticles in polymer matrix. The effect of CNT loading on membrane performance was investigated. The separation performance of synthesized membranes was evaluated in separation of ethanol from ethanol=water mixture using pervaporation. Effect of feed temperature and feed concentration on separation of ethanol was investigated. The results showed that increasing temperature increases flux of ethanol through the membrane, but decreases separation factor. The results also confirmed that the best separation performance can be obtained at CNT loading of 0.5 wt%. Furthermore, a mathematical model was developed to simulate the separation process. The model was based on solving the continuity equation for ethanol in the feed side and membrane. The simulation results were compared with the experimental data and were in good agreement. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 00:000–000, 2013. V C 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers


Copper and iron metal wire corrosion in artificial sea water have been investigated in three corrosion systems,
in the (i) closed bath, (ii) opened or air exposed bath, and (iii) aerated bath. The aim of our investigation
is to determine the effect of oxygen contained in the air to the metals' corrosivity. Artificial sea water was
prepared by dissolving 173.59 g sodium chloride and 4.91 g potassium chloride in 7.00 kg of water at
230C.The corrosion experiment was carried out under the constant temperature of 32 0C. Decrease of metal
masses during corrosion was monitored by measuring the metal resistance change. Our experiment provided
the corrosion rate in g.cm−2.s−1 as 4.01 x 10−7 (in closed bath), 4.01 x 10−6 (in opened bath) and 9.43 x 10−6
(in aerated bath) of copper metal, and 2.12 x 10−6 (in closed bath), 5.99 x 10−6 (in opened bath), and 1.07 x
10−5 (in aerated bath) of iron metal. Experimental results show that air oxygen give strong effect on the corrosion
of copper and iron metal .


Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between school climate and the workaholism tendencies of teachers. The sample of the survey model study consists of 385 teachers.The data were collected via "Scale of Organizational Climate in Schools" and "Workaholism Scale" and analyzed through descriptive statistics, clustering analysis, t-test, ANOVA and correlation analysis methods. According to the results, almost half of the teachers showed signs of workaholism. School climate affects the attitude of teachers prone to workaholism towards their job relatively less than the other teachers. While supportive principal treatment strengthens the work involvement of enthusiastic addict teachers, peremptory treatments reduces their intrinsic motivation. Likewise, restrictive principal treatment and negligent teacher behavior reduces the level of work enjoyment of work addict teachers. However, collaborative teacher behavior increases the level intrinsic motivation of work addict teachers.


The 2000 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime provides the first internationally agreed definition of the human trafficking. However, in failings to clarify the exact scope and meaning of exploitation, it has created an ambiguity as to what constitutes exploitation of labour in criminal law. The international definition's preference for an enumerative approach has been replicated in most regional and domestic legal instruments, making it difficult to draw the line between exploitation in terms of violations of labour rights and extreme forms of exploitation such as those listed in the Protocol. This book addresses this legal gap by seeking to conceptualise labour exploitation in criminal law.


We investigate the application of distributed source coding to a single-channel speech or audio signal. We compare two methods. In the first, we encode signal sequences using low-density parity check codes in an approach that resembles methods used in video coding. In the second, we encode each sample with only a set of least significant bits (LSB) of the quantization index. In both methods the parameters of a statistical signal model are estimated at the encoder and transmitted to the decoder. The signal model is used only at the decoder. Our results indicate that the LSB coding method is more effective. We show that the order-k entropy of a sequence of LSBs converges more quickly to the entropy rate of the scalar quantized signal than the order-k entropy of the quantized signal itself. As a result, we can approach the rate-distortion bound by applying entropy coding to successive short (several samples) segments of the sequence of LSB sample. The LSB coding method can be extended to lattice quantization.


SPADA Brightspace is an e-learning platform designed for online Teacher Professional program learning activities. This platform has become a virtual learning environment with no boundaries of space and time between educators and students for a long time. It is equipped with various learning features and learning progress recorded by the system. This paper aims to determine the effectiveness of using SPADA Brightspace in improving pedagogical skills of participants in the Teacher Professional program. This research uses a quantitative approach using One Group Pretest-Posttest Design. Also, the effectiveness was measured by the result of pre and post-test given to the participants based on several indicators such as the ability to design course plan (RPP), to compile teaching materials, to produce learning media, to create student activity sheets (LKPD), and to make evaluation instruments. By using descriptive statistical analysis, this study found that the SPADA Brightspace platform was effectively used for improving pedagogical skills of participants.


Alumina has been bonded via copper/niobium/copper interlayers, and correlations have been made between various processing conditions (applied load, processing temperature, copper film thickness, surface roughness, etc.) and strength. Four-point bend strengths and micrographs of fracture surfaces have been used to determine the relationship between processing, microstructure, and properties. Transparent sapphire substrates bonded with copper/niobium/copper interlayers were used in model experiments to track the microstructural development of these ceramic/metal interfaces and to identify the important mechanisms that contribute. High interfacial strengths were generally associated with small unbonded regions, extensive breakup of the copper film into isolated particles, ceramic pullout, and regions of niobium/alumina contact where the grain boundary grooves of the alumina are visible on both sides of the fracture surface. Experiments with sapphire substrates showed that asperities in the niobium and grain boundary grooves in the niobium play an important role in the initiation and growth of sapphire/niobium contact. The presence of a liquid film can enhance the kinetics of sapphire/niobium contact and growth by providing a low-temperature high-diffusivity path. The breakup of the copper film was described using two models that were in fairly close agreement. The breakup of the copper film depended on the asperity density in themore » niobium, niobium grain boundary density, liquid film redistribution, and the breakup of liquid patches via Rayleigh instabilities. The redistribution of the liquid was affected by defect geometry, local film thickness, and local interfacial crystallography. Thermal grooving effects of liquid copper on alumina and niobium were studied using conventional sessile drop experiments. The thermal grooving of one particular grain boundary in alumina when in contact with copper and niobium was studied using a fabricated bicrystal. Both diffusion mechanisms and the dissolution-precipitation reaction of alumina in niobium limited the kinetics of thermal grooving.« less


The hydration in the minor groove of double stranded DNA fragments containing the sequences 5'-dTTAAT, 5'-dTTAAC, 5'-dTTAAA and 5'-dTTAAG was investigated by studying the decanucleotide duplex d(GCATTAATGC)2 and the singly cross-linked decameric duplexes 5'-d(GCATTAACGC)-3'-linker-5'-d(GCGTTAATGC)-3' and 5'-d(GCCTTAAAGC)-3'-linker-5'-d(GCTTTAAGGC)-3' by NMR spectroscopy. The linker employed consisted of six ethyleneglycol units. The hydration water was detected by NOEs between water and DNA protons in NOESY and ROESY spectra. NOE-NOESY and ROE-NOESY experiments were used to filter out intense exchange cross-peaks and to observe water-DNA NOEs with sugar 1' protons. Positive NOESY cross-peaks corresponding to residence times longer than approximately 0.5 ns were observed for 2H resonances of the central adenine residues in the duplex containing the sequences 5'-dTTAAT and 5'-dTTAAC, but not in the duplex containing the sequences 5'-dTTAAA and 5'-dTTAAG. In all nucleotide sequences studied here, the hydration water in the minor groove is significantly more mobile at both ends of the AT-rich inner segments, as indicated by very weak or negative water-A 2H NOESY cross-peaks. No positive NOESY cross-peaks were detected with the G 1'H and C 1'H resonances, indicating that the minor groove hydration water near GC base pairs is kinetically less restrained than for AT-rich DNA segments. Kinetically stabilized minor groove hydration water was manifested by positive NOESY cross-peaks with both A 2H and 1'H signals of the 5'-dTTAA segment in d(GCATTAATGC)2. More rigid hydration water was detected near T4 in d(GCATTAATGC)2 as compared with 5'-d(GCATTAACGC)-3'-linker-5'-d(GCGTTAATGC)-3', although the sequences differ only in a single base pair. This illustrates the high sensitivity of water-DNA NOEs towards small conformational differences.


The structure and properties of ethanol organosolv lignin (EOL) extracted from bamboo under various conditions were characterized. EOL yield increased at high temperatures of 160 to 200 °C and a reaction time of 1 to 3 h. The nitrogen content in lignin was low, with a maximum of 0.62%. The carbon content increased with increasing temperature and prolonged time, whereas oxygen content showed an inverse trend. EOL extracted from bamboo showed high purity levels (more than 95.5% Klason lignin) with low impurity contents (carbohydrate and ash). The severity of the process increased the carboxylic acid and phenolic hydroxyl group contents and also decreased the methoxyl group content. The molecular weight of EOL varied depending on the extraction condition. The FT-IR and NMR spectra revealed that the main structure did not significantly change. From the spectra, it is clear that EOL extracted from bamboo can be classified as an HGS (H--p-hydroxyphenyl, G--guaiacyl, and S--syringyl, respectively) type. Clear β-O-4, β-β, and β-5' linkages were observed.


Tryptic digestion before identification and quantification by mass spectrometry is an indispensable process for most proteomics studies. Conventional in-solution digestion process always suffers from incomplete digestion and is time-consuming and expensive. Development of a novel proteolytic digestion method with fast, high efficiency and reusability of the enzyme is still an urgent task. In this study, new hollow silica bubbles-based immobilized trypsin (trypsin@SiB) was developed via brushes structured glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) grafted on the silica bubbles (SiB) by the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT) technique followed by trypsin's immobilization on the microsphere. The new immobilized trypsin not only showed high efficiency and stability but also reusability. Due to the low density (0.6 g cm−3) of SiB, it can float over the solution for several minutes so that the immobilized trypsin can be separated and recovered from the system easily. Highly efficient digestion of BSA was achieved with this trypsin@SiB within 1 min and the obtained sequence coverage (92%) was better than that from conventional in-solution digestion for more than 12 h (76%). To further confirm the efficiency of trypsin@SiB for complex proteomic analysis, the protein extracted from human urine was analyzed as a real sample. Within 10 min digestion, 510 protein groups were identified with the LC-MS/MS analysis and database searching, whereas the number of identified proteins after 12 h in-solution digestion was 493 with the same identification conditions. The successful application of trypsin@SiB demonstrated its potential as a high efficient digestion method for future proteomics analysis.


Objectives In the United States, rising rates of overdose deaths and recent outbreaks of hepatitis C virus and HIV infection are associated with injection drug use. We updated a 2014 review of systems-level opioid policy interventions by focusing on evidence published during 2014-2018 and new and expanded opioid policies. Methods We searched the MEDLINE database, consistent with the 2014 review. We included articles that provided original empirical evidence on the effects of systems-level interventions on opioid use, overdose, or death; were from the United States or Canada; had a clear comparison group; and were published from January 1, 2014, through July 19, 2018. Two raters screened articles and extracted full-text data for qualitative synthesis of consistent or contradictory findings across studies. Given the rapidly evolving field, the review was supplemented with a search of additional articles through November 17, 2019, to assess consistency of more recent findings. Results The keyword search yielded 535 studies, 66 of which met inclusion criteria. The most studied interventions were prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) (59.1%), and the least studied interventions were clinical guideline changes (7.6%). The most common outcome was opioid use (77.3%). Few articles evaluated combination interventions (18.2%). Study findings included the following: PDMP effectiveness depends on policy design, with robust PDMPs needed for impact; health insurer and pharmacy benefit management strategies, pill-mill laws, pain clinic regulations, and patient/health care provider educational interventions reduced inappropriate prescribing; and marijuana laws led to a decrease in adverse opioid-related outcomes. Naloxone distribution programs were understudied, and evidence of their effectiveness was mixed. In the evidence published after our search's 4-year window, findings on opioid guidelines and education were consistent and findings for other policies differed. Conclusions Although robust PDMPs and marijuana laws are promising, they do not target all outcomes, and multipronged interventions are needed. Future research should address marijuana laws, harm-reduction interventions, health insurer policies, patient/health care provider education, and the effects of simultaneous interventions on opioid-related outcomes.


Author(s): Bernstein, Thomas P. | Abstract: By the early 21st century, social unrest had become a normal feature of Chinese society. Whether defined as unrest, protest, or resistance, members of major social groups became increasingly assertive in their quest of redress of grievances. The aim of many of the protests was to call the attention of top-level leaders to particular grievances. This paper, which focuses on peasant responses to extraction of taxes and fees, exemplifies this point: peasants and their leaders asserted themselves against local officials in the name of the Central leaders' edicts to reduce peasant financial burdens. The frequency of unrest and the organizational coherence of collective actions has increased, but the impact of protests was limited by the lack of horizontal linkages and coordination between different groups of protestors, thereby weakening their overall impact.


Humans have a variety of activities that support the increasing amount of waste in the community environment. One of the household wastes produced is waste oil or what is often referred to as used cooking oil. Waste oil can be categorized as used cooking oil when it changes color to blackish brown. Discolored waste oil is no longer suitable for consumption. Some people with limited information about used cooking oil processing, tend to throw it away and result in environmental pollution. There are also many people who do not care about the impact of littering used waste. This dedication through Action Nomads is carried out to educate the people of Klurak Village RW 07 in raising awareness about the impact of waste used waste disposal and how to improve skills in managing used cooking oil. As for empowering youth who will later continue the Nomad Action in caring for the environment from the dangers of waste cooking oil in the surrounding environment. The method used in this study is by outreach to the community about the use value of used cooking oil waste which can produce a useful and valuable product. As youths, the servant collaborated with youth youth organizations in Klurak Rw 07 Village to campaign for a movement to reduce the use of used cooking oil. The result of implementing this activity is increasing knowledge about the impact of waste used cooking oil and using this used cooking oil to be used as a material that is ready for reuse.


Nowadays, huge amounts of data are naturally collected in distributed sites due to different facts and moving these data through the network for extracting useful knowledge is almost unfeasible for either technical reasons or policies. Furthermore, classical par- allel algorithms cannot be applied, specially in loosely coupled environments. This requires to develop scalable distributed algorithms able to return the global knowledge by aggregating local results in an effective way. In this paper we propose a distributed algorithm based on independent local clustering processes and a global merging based on minimum variance increases and requires a limited communication overhead. We also introduce the notion of distributed sub-clusters perturbation to improve the global generated distribution. We show that this algorithm improves the quality of clustering compared to classical local centralized ones and is able to find real global data nature or distribution.


The paper deals with the many issues related to the relationship between project and maintainability in light of the opportunities offered by Industry 4.0 referred to scientific advances and international and national regulatory context. As for industrial products, building maintainability is a design requirement and requires tools, procedures and programming skills. Not new issues, different the connoting characters. Today, Lean Construction and ICT technologies are synergetic methodologies and tools aimed at improving the "predictability" of design. They represent some of the cornerstones of an innovative approach, capable of projecting the construction sector into the era of the fourth revolution and, even more, the design practices from which descend the choices and strategies for managing the life cycle and therefore the characteristics of efficiency and sustainability. In this context, project and maintainability find a re-reading and updating, not only with reference to their operational capacity, but also mainly considering renewed human-centered approaches.


Background: Restrictive red cell transfusion is preferable to liberal transfusion in most clinical situations. However, intraoperative transfusion decisions are challenging due to uncertainty about the amount and rate of bleeding, the poor correlation of haemoglobin levels with blood loss and the effects of anesthetics on blood volume and physiologic responses. Clinicians frequently use hemoglobin levels to guide transfusion. While these "triggers" assume that the patient is normovolemic, they are often applied in situations confounded by hemodilution or hemoconcentration. We postulated that accurate measurement of surgical blood loss would facilitate prediction of postoperative hemoglobin levels, potentially leading to more accurate intraoperative transfusion decisions. Methods: Using image-processing algorithms, a novel system accurately measures blood loss by photographing surgical sponges and canisters and calculating their hemoglobin content. A formula to predict postoperative hemoglobin levels was devised and used to calculate postoperative hemoglobin levels in a study group of 167 burn and other wound excision procedures performed on 103 patients using the system. In an historical group (100 similar procedures, 60 patients) clinician estimates of blood loss were used. These predictions were compared with actual values. Results: The formula using measured blood loss in the study group was a better predictor of the actual postoperative day one hemoglobin value (R2=0.822) than was the same formula using visually estimated blood loss used in the historical group (R2=0.615). The mean absolute bias of postoperative day one hemoglobin levels in the study group was significantly lower than the mean bias in the historical group (study=group, mean 0.4, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.5 g/dL; historical group, mean 0.9, 95% CI 0.7 to 1.2 g/dL, p<0.001). Conclusion: Blood loss measurements using the novel system are a significantly better predictor of hemoglobin values obtained after surgery than traditional blood loss estimates.


Objective To understand the influnce of intestinal flora in mice for normal dose medication and abnormal dose medication with gatifloxacin.Method 24 KM mice used in this experiment were randomly divided into 3 groups,each of 8 mice.Then the mice of control group received saline and the mice in other two experimental groups received gatifloxacin normal dose and half of normal dose medication respectively for 7 days.Feces samples of the mice were taken by aseptic manipulation and cultured for assessment of amount of enterobacteriaceae,enterococcus,bacteroides,bifidobacterium and lactobacillus growing in the intestine.Result Gatifloxacin by intragastrical irrigation for 7 day.Compared to previous medicines,the result of antibiotic susceptibility had no obvious changes.Enterobacteriaceae kept sensitive to CIP,LEV,GAT,AM,CRO,AMK and NOR respectively.Enterococcus kept sensitive to AM,LEV,VA and GAT respectively,different sensitivity to NOR,CIP and CRO.Two medications pattern lead to the amount of enterobacteriaceae decrease notability(P ﹤0.05)and the amount of enterococcus increased somewhat(P ﹥0.05).While the amount of bacteroides,bifidobacterium and lactobacillus floras had no obvious changes.Conclusion Use of gatifloxacin for 7 day has no obvious change of intestinal flora with two medications pattern(except for enterobacteriaceae).Gatifloxacin is not easy to come into being drug resistance for short-term.That kill enterobacteriaceae is greater than to anaerobe.