The objective of this study was to describe bacterial culture and antibiotic susceptibility results in 476 dogs presenting with suspected bacterial keratitis in Iowa and surrounding Midwestern states, further detailing trends in patient characteristics, seasonality, and antimicrobial resistance. Corneal swabs yielded 465 bacterial isolates and 220 cultures (46.2%) with no apparent growth (0–5 isolates per culture). The most frequent bacterial genera were Staphylococcus (32.3%), Streptococcus (19.1%), and Pseudomonas (12.5%), while the most common bacterial species were Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (26.7%), Streptococcus canis (12%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.5%). Compared to mixed-breed dogs, canine breeds most likely to be examined for ulcerative keratitis included Boston terrier, Cavalier King Charles spaniel, miniature pinscher, pug, rat terrier, Saint Bernard, shih tzu, and silky terriers. In summer, the likelihood to yield a negative culture was reduced while the likelihood to culture Pseudomonas species was increased. Bacteria considered multidrug resistant (MDR, resistant to ≥ 3 antibiotic classes) represented 20% of all canine isolates and were most prevalent for Staphylococcus species (33%). An alarming, escalating trend of MDR prevalence was noted between 2016 (5%) and 2020 (34%). Individual ophthalmic preparations (i.e., single antibiotics or commercially available antibiotic combinations) with highest efficacy against all bacterial isolates included chloramphenicol (83%), ceftiofur (79%), amikacin (77%), neomycin-polymyxin B-bacitracin (77%), and gentamicin (74%). Efficacy of systemic antibiotics and combinations of ophthalmic preparations was also evaluated. Based on the present findings, triple antibiotic (Neo-Poly-Bac) is recommended as empirical monotherapy for prophylactic antibiotic therapy in dogs with simple corneal ulcers, while a chloramphenicol-ciprofloxacin combination is empirically recommended for therapeutic management of infected corneal ulcers. Pending culture and susceptibility results, appropriate selection of empiric antibiotic therapy is important to enhance therapeutic outcome and reduce antibacterial resistance in dogs with corneal ulceration.


Abstract We present a new framework, using a model-based bootstrap with prewhitening and post-blackening, to analyze the robustness of overall controller synthesis methods to model uncertainties. This considers both the system identification and the subsequent controller synthesis together as an overall synthesis method to be analyzed. This framework is extremely flexible, can be used with any identification or synthesis method, and can easily be extended to many other types of problems. As a very encouraging first step, we see a dramatic confirmation of the dangers associated with certain synthesis methods.


Background and aims: Major liver resection incurs a risk of postoperative liver dysfunction and infection and there is a lack of objective evidence relating residual liver volume to these complications. Patients and methods: Liver volumetry was performed on computer models derived from computed tomography (CT) angioportograms of 104 patients with normal synthetic liver function scheduled for liver resection. Relative residual liver volume (%RLV) was calculated as the relation of residual to total functional liver volume and related to postoperative hepatic dysfunction and infection. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was undertaken to determine the critical %RLV predicting severe hepatic dysfunction and infection. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to delineate perioperative predictors of severe hepatic dysfunction and infection. Results: The incidence of severe hepatic dysfunction and infection following liver resection increased significantly with smaller %RLV. A critical %RLV of 26.6% was identified as associated with severe hepatic dysfunction (p<0.0001). Additionally, body mass index (BMI), operating time, and intraoperative blood loss were significant prognostic indicators for severe hepatic dysfunction. It was not possible to predict the individual risk of postoperative infection precisely by %RLV. However, in patients undergoing major liver resection, infection was significantly more common in those who developed postoperative severe hepatic dysfunction compared with those who did not (p = 0.030). Conclusions: The likelihood of severe hepatic dysfunction following liver resection can be predicted by a small %RLV and a high BMI whereas postoperative infection is more related to liver dysfunction than precise residual liver volume. Understanding the relationship between liver volume and synthetic and immune function is the key to improving the safety of major liver resection.


Although voices provide listeners with significant information about speakers, defining and quantifying voice quality remain elusive goals. The ANSI standard definition of quality (that attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which a listener can judge that two sounds similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch are dissimilar) is often criticized because it specifies what quality is not, rather than what it is. It has also proven difficult to devise measurement protocols for quality as specified in the ANSI definition. We argue that the ANSI definition is in fact appropriate, because it treats quality as the result of perceptual processes— interactions between listeners and signals in the context of specific perceptual goals. Application of speech synthesis in method-of-adjustment tasks allows measurement of quality psychoacoustically as those aspects of the signal that allow a listener to determine that two sounds of equal pitch and loudness are different, consistent with the ANSI definition, and provides insight into the salient acoustic attributes contributing to quality. This technique holds promise for improving the reliability and validity of measures of voice quality.


A new device that enables closure of the femoral artery puncture site by percutaneous placement of two nonabsorbable sutures (Prostar) was evaluated. Our initial experience included 32 insertion attempts at 29 femoral arterial puncture sites and one femoral venous puncture site. The device was applied at arterial puncture sites that had been used to carry out 12 balloon angioplasties (41%), seven intracoronary stent placements (24%), five intraaortic balloon pump insertions (17%), four diagnostic angiographies (14%), and one rotational ablation (3%). The venous access site closed was in a patient who had undergone balloon angioplasty and intracoronary thrombolysis. Most patients were anticoagulated with an average activated clotting time (ACT) of 306 +/- 123 sec (12 patients) or an average PTT of 68 +/- 29 sec (14 patients). There were four failures to achieve hemostasis using the device due to: inability to place the device because of peripheral vascular disease, entrapment of cutaneous tissue in the suture, a suture break that prevented hemostasis from being achieved, and avulsion of the sutures from the needles. Although three other suture breaks occurred, these did not prevent hemostasis from being achieved. Thus, 88% (28/32) of attempted uses were successful, and by using a second device in two of the failed attempts, 94% (30/32) of the puncture sites were successfully closed using the device. There was one late rebleed that required 1 hr of groin clamp pressure in an angioplasty patient who had received intracoronary urokinase. An ooze of blood occurred in 4 patients, but in only 2 was this more than trivial, resulting in discontinuation of heparin in one patient and a small hematoma in the other. We conclude that this device can be used safely and effectively, even in fully anticoagulated patients who have undergone complex procedures. The ultimate role of the device will require further experience and appropriate randomized studies.


On one of the most densely operated networks in the world, Netherlands Railways (NS) exploits the Dutch trunk route system via a franchise that expires in 2015. As a railway company NS thus operates in a capital-intensive sector, characterized by small operating margins that have come under even greater pressure due to the recent recession. It was during this recession, however, that a decision also had to be made on a long-term investment of EUR 4.5 billion by the Dutch government to prepare the rail infrastructure for the growing market demand. This involves the High-Frequency Rail Transport Programme whereby on the busiest routes of the country six Intercities and six all station trains (Sprinters) will run hourly. The combination of an expiring franchise, a considerable long-term investment of EUR 4.5 billion in the infrastructure, on top of decreasing operating margins resulting from a recession, made it crucial that decisions be made on the future of Dutch rail transport in sound collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, the infra-provider ProRail and the major market operator NS. At a time when there is also broad consensus on the level of economic growth remaining at a lower level for the long term, it is even more important that decision making on long-term investments is well-considered. This article addresses a model that NS has implemented and advocates integral management of production costs and traffic revenues in order to match capacity with market demand as well as possible. Results show that the operating margin and customer satisfaction improve significantly. From an organizational perspective it can be concluded that NS has moved from an operational volume and load factor-driven exploitation to a financially and break-even load factor-driven exploitation. Load factor is determined here on the basis of traffic and production, whereas the break-even load factor is based on production costs and traffic revenues. It is also clearly shown how Operations and Commercial can be more closely attuned to one another. Finally, an additional elaboration is introduced in order to give the operational line management a tool to get a tangible grip on the twenty trunk routes of the NS network in the Netherlands, in turn affording a further local optimization of operating results and customer satisfaction. Clear graphs, figures and tables make the model easily comprehensible and support practical application in most railway companies. A subsequent article, to be published at the end of 2011, will also address how a - so far unbroached - market potential can significantly increase the operating margin further.


Objective: to analyze the diagnostic value of radiation techniques in patients with opisthorchiasis-induced obstructive jaundice and to determine the types of bile duct (BD) changes characteristic of this disease.Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled 103 patients with chronic opisthorchiasis complicated by obstructive jaundice. For BD visualization, the investigators used radiation diagnostic methods, such as ultrasonography (USG), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP); their efficiency was evaluated.Results. ERCP and MRCP could identify 5 types of BD architectonics in opisthorchiasis-induced obstructive jaundice. The sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of MRCP in diagnosing opisthorchiasis-induced sclerotic changes were 98.1, 87.5, and 96.8%, respectively.Conclusion. Among instrumental methods for diagnosing sclerotic BD changes in prolonged opisthorchiasis invasion, it is preferable to use MRCP, which is determined by its high informative value. Five types of cholangioarchitectonics are detectable in chronic opisthorchiasis complicated by obstructive jaundice.


The qualitative effects of 24 different carbohydrates on the growth and survival of the black cricket Melanogryllus desertus Pall. were investigated by rearing the insect on synthetic diets. The results showed that the carbohydrates examined had different effects on the growth and survival of the insect. Rhamnose and lactose had inhibiting effects, whereas ribose, arabinose, xylose, galactose, sorbose, cellobiose, inuline and dulcitol produced an inert effect. Sucrose, maltose, glucose, fructose, mannose, trehalose, dextrin, glycogen, starch, sorbitol, manitol all had positive effects. Raffinose, mellibiose and inositol were utilized at very low levels by the black cricket. Of the monosaccharides, glucose promoted the best growth. Sucrose was the most effective of the disaccharides, and dextrin polysaccharides.


A 42-year-old man presented exercise-induced muscle pain without myogloburia since the age of 12 years. Histochemistry and electronmicroscopy of a muscle biopsy revealed subsarcolemmal and inter-myofibrillar accumulation of glycogen. Exercise on a bicycle ergometer produced a normal raise of lactate. Biochemical study showed a partial defect in phosphorylase activity.


Because the rate of stress change from the Earth tides exceeds that from tectonic stress accumulation, tidal triggering of earthquakes would be expected if the final hours of loading of the fault were at the tectonic rate and if rupture began soon after the achievement of a critical stress level. We analyze the tidal stresses and stress rates on the fault planes and at the times of 13,042 earthquakes which are so close to the San Andreas and Calaveras faults in California that we may take the fault plane to be known. We find that the stresses and stress rates from Earth tides at the times of earthquakes are distributed in the same way as tidal stresses and stress rates at random times. While the rate of earthquakes when the tidal stress promotes failure is 2% higher than when the stress does not, this difference in rate is not statistically significant. This lack of tidal triggering implies that preseismic stress rates in the nucleation zones of earthquakes are at least 0.15 bar/h just preceding seismic failure, much above the long-term tectonic stress rate of 10−4 bar/h.


Abdominal CT of 230 patients (310 CT examinations) with a diagnosis of malignant melanoma was retrospectively reviewed for the evaluation of small bowel and mesenteric involvement. Seventeen (7.4%) patients had evidence of small bowel and mesenteric involvement on CT. There were four distinct patterns of disease: (a) intraluminal masses in 3 patients; (b) ulcerating lesions in 2; (c) diffuse infiltration in 6; (d) implants in 10. Four patients had more than two patterns of involvement. Of the 10 patients with tumor implants, carcinomatosis was noted in 2. Two patients had intussusception and 4 had extensive mesenteric nodal involvement. Of the 17 patients, 12 (71%) had at least one symptom referable to the gastrointestinal tract, while 5 (29%) were clinically asymptomatic. Fourteen of the 17 patients (82%) had additional intraabdominal metastases to sites other than small bowel and mesentery.


We searched for sites on the alpha-subunit of the fast Na(+) channel responsible for the difference in GTX (grayanotoxin) sensitivity of the skeletal- and cardiac-muscle Na(+) current. cDNA clones, encoding the skeletal or cardiac isoforms of the alpha-subunit, were inserted into a mammalian expression vector and transiently transfected into human embryonic kidney cells. The expressed channels were measured using whole-cell patch-clamp techniques and examined for GTX sensitivity. As a measure of GTX sensitivity, we used relative chord conductance (ratio of maximum chord conductance of noninactivating GTX-modified Na(+) currents to that of unmodified peak currents). Wild-type channels from skeletal muscle (mu 1) were more sensitive to GTX modification than wild-type cardiac channels (rH1) by a factor of 1.6. To facilitate exploration of alpha-subunit sites determining GTX sensitivity, we used SHHH, a chimera of skeletal muscle (S) domain D1 and heart muscle (H) domains D2D3D4 with supernormal sensitivity to GTX I (1.5-fold of wild-type mu 1). Successive replacement of Ser-251 (D1S4-S5 intracellular loop) and Ile-433 (D1S6 transmembrane segment), with corresponding rH1 residues Ala and Val, reduced, in a stepwise manner, the GTX sensitivity of the chimera and related mutants to that of wild-type rHl. We concluded that, in addition to Ile-433, known as the GTX-binding site, Ser-251 represents a novel site for GTX modification.


Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are widely considered for large range of applications in various domains as biomechanics, aeronautics, automotive, civil engineering, etc... Design of such smart (adaptive) applications is mainly based on experimental analysis. In fact, most of commercial finite element codes did not offer a specific constitutive model for SMAs in their material standard databases despite the large progress made by research in this area. In fact, many interesting thermo-mechanical behavior models, well adapted to SMAs, were proposed by recognized research groups (among them Lexcellent's, Auricchio's, Patoor's, Lagoudas's group, and Moumni's groups ...). Those models are based either on micromechanical or on phenomenological approaches, well describe all the specificities of SMAs behavior and were successfully implemented in various commercial codes as Abaqus, Marc, Castem 2000, FemLab. This allowed analyzing by finite element method the response of applications in SMAs (stents, endodontic file, micro-actuators, springs, connection systems, damping systems). A global review of an example of a research activity illustrating these progresses in finite element based SMA application design is developed. A family of macroscopic constitutive models based on micromechanical approach and considering macroscopic material parameters and internal variables is detailed. The implementation of these models in the Abaqus finite element code via the subroutine UMAT is presented. The obtained tool was considered for design of SMA based applications in various domains as biomedical (endodontic file), connection (tightening rings, fish plates for rails) and micro-actuators showing how finite element analysis contributes in the design of such applications.


Abstract The effect of CC-chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) and CC-chemokine ligand 19 (CCL19) on rheumatic mitral stenosis is unknown. This study aimed to explore the roles of CCR7 and CCL19 in rheumatic mitral stenosis by measuring the expression of CCR7 and CCL19 in human mitral valves from rheumatic mitral stenosis patients. Additionally, we examined their effects on human mitral valve interstitial cells (hMVICs) proliferation, apoptosis and wound repair. CCR7 and CCL19 expression was measured in the mitral valves from rheumatic mitral stenosis patients (n = 10) and compared to normal mitral valves (n = 5). CCR7 was measured in cultured hMVICs from rheumatic mitral stenosis patients and normal donors by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence. The cells were also treated with exogenous CCL19, and the effects on wound healing, proliferation and apoptosis were assayed. In the rheumatic mitral valves, valve interstitial cells expressed CCR7, while mononuclear cells and the endothelium expressed CCL19. Healthy mitral valves did not stain positive for CCR7 or CCL19. CCR7 was also detected in cultured rheumatic hMVICs or in normal hMVICs treated with CCL19. In a wound healing experiment, wound closure rates of both rheumatic and normal hMVICs were significantly accelerated by CCL19. These effects were abrogated by a CCR7 neutralizing antibody. The CCR7/CCL19 axis did not influence the proliferation or apoptosis of hMVICs, indicating that wound healing was due to increased migration rates rather than increased proliferation. In conclusion, CCR7 and CCL19 were expressed in rheumatic mitral valves. The CCR7/CCL19 axis may regulate remodeling of rheumatic valve injury through promoting migratory ability of hMVICs.


The life-histories of gold artefacts can provide rich insight into technology and culture, but so far the potential of this research approach has not been exploited in the south central Andes. Here we present the analysis of 34 gold and silver objects from the Middle Period cemetery of Casa Parroquial (San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile), using pXRF, SEM-EDS, PIXE and digital microscopy. Chemical analyses detected variable compositions (2.4–73.1 per cent Ag and 0.2–3.4 per cent Cu) suggesting that artisans used both native gold and artificial gold-silver-copper alloys. Based on their manufacturing techniques, quality and designs, we identify two working styles, one technically more 'careful' than the other. Given their elemental and technological variety, together with the lack of local production evidence, we propose that these artefacts were imported as finished objects from Tiwanaku or Cochabamba and northwest Argentina. However, we identify a series of objects that were modified or reshaped as they entered a new cultural context, revealing complex life-histories. Modifications used relatively simple mechanical means: punching, cutting and folding, most likely made in multi-craft contexts by non-metallurgists from San Pedro.


This study assesses successively the changes in gross movement by hospital treatment with intensive functional training for 1-2 months according to the objective assessment criteria, the gross motor function measure (GMFM), which is commonly accepted as the global standard. Intensive functional training was carried out on its own in institutions other than the principal author's, or together with low reactive-level IR diode laser therapy (LLLT) in the Shinano Handicapped Children's Hospital, and the efficacy of the two approaches was compared. The severity of the disease was classified according to the gross motor function classification system (GMFCS). When the development of motor function was compared separately by disease severity with the cross-sectional motor growth curve, in the cases of the GMFCS level III a significant improvement was observed in patients of up to around age 8 . A significant improvement was observed inpatients of up to around 8 years old, especially up to 3 years old, when compared with the cross-sectional motor growth curve even when the GMFCS level was IV. When compared with patients at other rehabilitation and training sites, where only functional training therapy was applied without LLLT, the efficacy of intensive functional training was clearly enhanced in combination with LLLT.


Large quantities of agricultural wastes such as palm ash and rice husk are found in Malaysia, have a large possibility to be employed as usefully renewable to produce energy and silica (SiO2). Extensive researches have been carried out to extract silica from agricultural wastes such rice husk, because silica is useful raw material for industrial application. In the previous studies, the strong acid leaching treatment was carried out on rice husk to remove metallic impurities and organics contained in them. Leaching treatment is a proper route to extract the silica. Sulphuric acid (H2SO4), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and nitric acid (HNO3) solutions are conventionally used in leaching treatment to prepare silica materials [. A strong acid leaching treatment, however, is significantly hazardous to the environment and humans. This paper reviews the common extraction method used and the latest research trends in extraction of silica.


In this article we examine whether an innovative mixed method approach could highlight the positive and challenging effects of a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programme (PRP) on the Quality of Life (QOL) of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In 2012, we conducted three consultation workshops in Mid-West Wales, UK, with COPD patients that participated in a PRP, their significant others (e.g. spouses and partners), and healthcare professionals who delivered the PRP. We found that there was a resounding enthusiasm for the content and impact of the programme, particularly in the areas of: increased patient activity, enhanced patient control and confidence, a greater willingness to self-manage treatment, and an increased sense of group belonging. Seven key themes mattered most to our study participants: the patient, physical health, mental health, the programme, professionals and significant others, knowledge and education, and the future. We used these themes to craft a best-practice outcomes document (template) of the benefits and challenges of the PRP to inform and support future service evaluation and delivery.


Histone acetylation is a pivotal epigenetic modification that controls chromatin structure and regulates gene expression. It plays an essential role in modulating zygotic transcription and cell lineage specification of developing embryos. While the outcomes of many inductive signals have been described to require enzymatic activities of histone acetyltransferases and deacetylases (HDACs), the mechanisms by which HDACs confine the utilization of the zygotic genome remain to be elucidated. Here, we show that histone deacetylase 1 (Hdac1) progressively binds to the zygotic genome from mid blastula and onward. The recruitment of Hdac1 to the genome at blastula is instructed maternally. Cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) bound by Hdac1 possess epigenetic signatures underlying distinct functions. We highlight a dual function model of Hdac1 where Hdac1 not only represses gene expression by sustaining a histone hypoacetylation state on inactive chromatin, but also maintains gene expression through participating in dynamic histone acetylation-deacetylation cycles on active chromatin. As a result, Hdac1 maintains differential histone acetylation states of bound CRMs between different germ layers and reinforces the transcriptional program underlying cell lineage identities, both in time and space. Taken together, our study reveals a comprehensive role for Hdac1 during early vertebrate embryogenesis.


The Capital Beltway high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes will be a 14 mile subset of the Washington, D.C. region's Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) upon completion in December 2012. Buses, carpools (HOV-3+), motorcycles and emergency vehicles will be able to access the Capital Beltway HOT lanes for free while drivers with fewer than three occupants must pay a toll to use the HOT lanes. Upon opening, they will be among the most advanced variably priced toll lanes in the world. A dynamic toll algorithm (DTA) will be responsible for making adjustments to the toll prices at regular intervals based on measured traffic density. An effective means to examine, develop and test the toll system capabilities prior to implementation was considered essential. A very limited number of real-world algorithms currently exist for dynamic pricing on toll roads, and none was currently available in any existing simulation environment capable of accurately reflecting the fully dynamic nature of the Beltway"s HOT Lanes toll system. After evaluating various options, the eventual selection of Caliper Corporation"s TransModeler was made as the package of choice. A new and distinctive micro-simulation traffic environment was created based on the MnPass algorithm and used in the dynamic tolling analysis for the project. The simulation analysis was undertaken in the system procurement phase of the project to allow for integrated testing activities concurrent with the design and development process, which will yield significant positive outcomes for the project.


This essay uses feminist scholarship to engender African military history. It begins by examining the ways in which gender has—or has not—been integrated into African military history over the last ten years. Next, it analyzes some of the most influential feminist scholarship on gender and militarism in Africa today. Although most of this literature has not been produced by historians, it has much to teach us about how gender can be critically interrogated within our own work. The penultimate section considers the importance of cultivating a feminist curiosity and discusses what this type of critical thinking can bring to African military history. And finally, the conclusion reflects upon the future of the field, describing what needs to be done and how we might get there.


BackgroundAsthma is the most common chronic childhood condition. Unfortunately, many children have poorly controlled asthma. Current guidelines strongly recommend that all asthma review appointments must include an assessment of the patient's inhaler technique. However, most guidelines do not provide information on how the healthcare professional should conduct this assessment. The aim of this scoping review is to explore the published literature on methods used to assess inhaler technique. MethodsThis scoping review will follow the frameworks founded by Arksey and O'Malley and the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. We will search MEDLINE, Embase, Cinahl and the Cochrane library for studies published from 1st January 1956 to 30th November 2021, on methods of assessing inhaler technique in children and young people aged 1 to 16 years of age with asthma. We will include randomised control trials, case control studies, cohort studies and retrospective studies which investigate methods used to assess inhaler technique in children and young people. We will include studies conducted in all areas where inhaler technique assessment occurs and studies conducted by all healthcare professionals who usually undertake inhaler assessments in practice. Two reviewers will complete all screening and data extraction independently. Data will be extracted onto a charting table and a descriptive summary of the results presented. DiscussionThis scoping review will provide a broad overview of currently used methods to assess inhaler technique in children and young people with asthma. The analysis of which will allow us to consider how these methods might be used in clinical practice and research settings. Scoping review registration Open Science Framework (osf.io/e47sa).


We use a model, adopted from the theory of core-hole spectra, to explain the experimentally observed double-peak structures in quantum-well exciton spectra. We also rule out the hypotheses of the peak-splitting being due to any of the following effects: strong electric fields in the sample, doping charge accumulation in the well walls and structures in the well due to the doping-induced deformation of the well potential.


Catching and attributing code change-induced performance regressions in production is hard; predicting them beforehand, even harder. A primer on automatically learning to predict performance regressions in software, this article gives an account of the experiences we gained when researching and deploying an ML-based regression prediction pipeline at Meta.In this paper, we report on a comparative study with four ML models of increasing complexity, from (1) code-opaque, over (2) Bag of Words, (3) off-the-shelve Transformer-based, to (4) a bespoke Transformer-based model, coined SuperPerforator. Our investigation shows the inherent difficulty of the performance prediction problem, which is characterized by a large imbalance of benign onto regressing changes. Our results also call into question the general applicability of Transformer-based architectures for performance prediction: an off-the-shelve CodeBERT-based approach had surprisingly poor performance; even the highly customized SuperPerforator architecture achieved offline results that were on par with simpler Bag of Words models; it only started to significantly outperform it for down-stream use cases in an online setting. To gain further insight into SuperPerforator, we explored it via a series of experiments computing counterfactual explanations. These highlight which parts of a code change the model deems important, thereby validating it.The ability of SuperPerforator to transfer to an application with few learning examples afforded an opportunity to deploy it in practice at Meta: it can act as a pre-filter to sort out changes that are unlikely to introduce a regression, truncating the space of changes to search a regression in by up to 43%, a 45x improvement over a random baseline.


Ge nanowires seeded from Au nanoparticles capped with fluorothiolate ligands were synthesized in supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2) by the thermal decomposition of diphenylgermane (DPG) at a temperature of 380 °C and a pressure of 25.7 MPa. Both perfluorinated and semifluorinated capped Au nanoparticles acted as effective catalysts for growing Ge nanowires, with mean diameters of 11 nm (σ = 2.8) and 14 nm (σ = 3.5), respectively. The mean diameter of the Ge nanowires grown from the fluorous-capped Au nanoparticles were considerably smaller than those synthesized from dodecanethiol-capped nanoparticles in sc-toluene, under the same reaction conditions, i.e., 28 nm and σ = 10.3. Differences in the ligand conformations on the surface of the Au nanoparticles and phase separation of the fluorocarbon/CO2 and hydrocarbon/toluene systems gave rise to greater steric stabilization of the fluorous-capped Au nanoparticles in CO2, resulting in small diameter nanowires with a relatively narrow size distribution. Ele...


Fast, accurate algorithms to compute network capabilities are indispensable for transfer-based electricity markets. Most transfer studies involve contingencies and multipattern scenarios that often can only be performed in reasonable time with the use of linear methods. One of the limitations of linear ATC is the error produced by neglecting the effect of reactive power flows in line loading. This paper describes a fast algorithm to incorporate this effect. The estimation of the line post-transfer complex flow is based on circle equations and a megavar-corrected megawatt limit. The method can be easily integrated into existing linear ATC software because the computation remains based on active power distribution factors. The algorithm is illustrated in a small example and the error correction demonstrated for transfers in larges systems.


Density functional theory studies of S...X and Se...X (X = Br, I) halogen-bonding interactions are used to interpret the selection of selenium and iodine for thyroid hormone signaling. A new mechanism for dehalogenation in terms of halogen bonding is proposed. The activation barriers for deiodination of an aromatic iodide by MeSeH and MeSH (17.6 and 19.8 kcal/mol) are consistent with the relative rates of deiodination by iodothyronine deiodinase and its cysteine mutant.


The problems of violent conflicts in Africa today can be traced back to situations deeply rooted in exploitation and colonial domination of Africa. As far back as the days of the Atlantic slave trade to the period of colonial subjugation, Africa witnessed one form of violent conflicts or the other virtually unprecedented in the life of a typical African. Further on was the scrabble for African territories which eventually created artificially bounded nation-states.  Similar was the divide and rule method, which alienated Africans from Africans. This method characterized the policies of the various colonial administrations. This paper admits that conflicts, not on a large scale, existed in pre-colonial Africa. It also examines the traditional methods of resolving these conflicts in pre-colonial Africa particularly among the Yorubas. However; the paper traces the incessant ethnic/tribal conflicts or the civil wars on a large scale that have pummeled various African societies since independence to the invasion of the continent by European colonialism. It examines the implication of the partitioning and creation of artificial boundaries in Africa and how it leads to a breakdown of communication among artificially bound natives. The paper submits that the various violent conflicts in Africa are a direct consequence of colonial domination.

 Key words: Colonialism, conflict, native communications, African, ethnic.


We measured the high-field magnetization up to 55 T and constructed a magnetic phase diagram for a transuranium antiferromagnet NpRhGa5 with the tetragonal structure. The magnetization at 4.2 K for an easy-axis H//[100] indicates a metamagnetic transition with a sharp step at Hc = 26 T and saturates above Hs = 38 T, reaching 0.43 μB/Np at Hs. On the other hand, the magnetization saturates at Hs = 28 T for a hard-axis H//[001], reaching 0.44 μB/Np at Hs. The magnetization indicated that the magnetic moment reduces from 0.96 μB/Np at zero field to 0.44 μB/Np at the saturation field as a function of magnetic field. These experimental results in NpRhGa5 are compared with the simple magnetism in UPtGa5with the similar antiferromagnetic structure.


Aims: Use of the polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB PCR) as a basis for making clinical decisions on the initiation of antituberculosis treatment was studied. Methods: A retrospective study involving a cohort of 155 patients being investigated for tuberculosis in an infectious disease consultation service was undertaken. TB PCR was performed on pulmonary and extrapulmonary specimens from these patients. The sensitivity of TB PCR was analysed. Results: Of the 155 patients, 144 fitted the clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis, and 112 of them were culture positive for M tuberculosis. Sixty (58.3%) patients with clinical features suggestive of tuberculosis received antituberculosis treatment based on positive TB PCR alone. Of 224 clinical specimens (138 pulmonary and 86 extrapulmonary) sent for TB PCR, 148 (99 pulmonary and 49 extrapulmonary) were positive in 117 patients. Of the 690 clinical specimens sent for culture, 279 were positive for M tuberculosis in 112 patients. The diagnostic sensitivity of TB PCR was 75.9% (85 of 112) and 81.3% (117 of 144) in patients with culture confirmed and clinically diagnosed tuberculosis, respectively. Using culture as the gold standard, the overall sensitivity of TB PCR was 78.3%, and for pulmonary and extrapulmonary specimens it was 82.3% and 72.0%, respectively. Conclusions: TB PCR is a rapid and reliable test in the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis.


Evaluation and debugging of AI systems require coherent views of program performance and behavior. We have developed a family of methods, called Dependency Detection, for analyzing execution traces for small patterns. Unfortunately, these methods provide only a local view of program behavior. The approach described here integrates two methods, dependency detection and CHAID-based analysis, to produce an abstract model of system behavior: a transition diagram of merged states. We present the algorithm and demonstrate it on synthetic examples and data from two AI planning and control systems. The models produced by the algorithm summarize sequences and cycles evident in the synthesized models and highlight some key aspects of behavior in the two systems. We conclude by identifying some of the inadequacies of the current algorithm and suggesting enhancements.


We provide a general method for extending fair social preferences defined for riskless economic environments to the context of risk and uncertainty. We apply the method to the problems of managing unemployment allowances (in the context of macroeconomic fluctuations) and catastrophic risks (in the context of climate change). It requires paying attention to individuals' risk attitudes and rationality properties of social preferences, revisiting basic ideas from Harsanyi's seminal work (Harsanyi, 1955). The social preferences that we obtain do not in general take the form of an expected utility criterion, but they always satisfy statewise dominance. We also show how non-expected utility individual preferences can be accommodated in the approach.


PURPOSE
The diagnosis of children and adolescents with a chronic disease may affect the entire family system. When families have diverse structures, additional tensions can be present and affect the balance of family functioning. This metasynthesis aims to analyze and synthesize qualitative evidence on the functioning of structurally diverse families who live with adolescents and children with chronic disease.

DESIGN
Qualitative metasynthesis.

METHODS
Systematic searches up to 2021 were performed in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, LILACS, and Web of Science and supplemented by manual search strategies. It followed guidelines from the statement in the Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research (ENTREQ). A quality appraisal of each study was undertaken using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Data synthesis was conducted according to the thematic synthesis approach.

FINDINGS
Of a total of 6538 references identified, 9 studies were included in the metasynthesis. The thematic synthesis enabled the construction of three analytical themes: "Family structural changes and weakened co-parenting"; "Family rearrangements and the challenges faced by families"; and "Committed to healthy family functioning for the child's well-being: Searching for family homeostasis".

CONCLUSIONS
The themes showed that the causes of the rupture in the family unit interfere in family functioning, making it ineffective. In most families, family functioning is centered on the mothers. Faced with the need to care for children and adolescents and to control chronic disease, structurally diverse families need to adjust their family functioning and search for family homeostasis.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE
The results of this review can support nurses to target their care toward these families and formulate effective interventions that promote, strengthen, or maintain the healthy functioning of these families.


Rats orally self-administered ethanol when they could control dose size as follows: A lever press initiated a trial; a press on 1 lever increased the previous trial duration by 30% whereas a press on a 2nd lever decreased the previous trial duration by 30%. During a trial, rats could drink either water, 8%, or 16% (wt/vol) ethanol (ETOH) from a lick-sensitive fountain. Mean per session intake of 8% and 16% ETOH was 0.8 g/kg and 1.3 g/kg, respectively. Water intake was negligible. Rats did not show a tendency to maintain a particular trial duration, nor did they adjust intertrial intervals to previous dose size (number of licks). When trials were collected into bouts, a positive relationship was found between bout size and interbout interval; this relationship was statistically significant for the 8% but not the 16% ETOH condition.


In the current research, we aimed to explore the relations between reading comprehension and reading fluency and their connections with each other as an indicator and a predictor. For this overall aim, a total of 100 students from the seventh-grade level were enrolled. This research took place in the fall semester, 2015, in Turkey's Denizli province. The participants from all grade levels were willing and available to take part in the present study. Informed consent letters were obtained from all of the participants and their parents or guardians. The participants were relatively homogenous and of middle socioeconomic (SES) status. They ranged in age from 13 through 15 years. For the measures of fluency, components were taken from students' oral reading of the same texts including narrative and expository according to grade levels. After then, the students' reading comprehension levels were assessed. Every comprehension test for the grade levels included a narrative text and an expository text, and 12 questions were prepared for every text, six of which were literal and another five of which were inferential. The path analyses were used to identify the relations between reading fluency and reading comprehension. According to the results of the research, some recommendations were given.


Rett syndrome (RTT) is a progressive neurodevelopmental disorder mainly caused by mutations in the gene encoding the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2). Although over 200 mutations types have been identified so far, nine of which the most frequent ones. A wide phenotypical heterogeneity is a well-known feature of the disease, with different clinical presentations, including the classical form and the preserved speech variant (PSV). Aim of the study was to unveil possible relationships between plasma proteome and phenotypic expression in two cases of familial RTT represented by two pairs of sisters, harbor the same MECP2 gene mutation while being dramatically discrepant in phenotype, that is, classical RTT versus PSV. Plasma proteome was analysed by 2-DE/MALDI-TOF MS. A significant overexpression of six proteins in the classical sisters was detected as compared to the PSV siblings. A total of five out of six (i.e., 83.3%) of the overexpressed proteins were well-known acute phase response (APR) proteins, including alpha-1-microglobulin, haptoglobin, fibrinogen beta chain, alpha-1-antitrypsin, and complement C3. Therefore, the examined RTT siblings pairs proved to be an important benchmark model to test the molecular basis of phenotypical expression variability and to identify potential therapeutic targets of the disease.


Objective We aimed to investigate uric acid and albumin ratio (UA/A) as a marker of short-term mortality in acute kidney injury (AKI). Both uric acid and albumin are strongly correlated with the development and mortality of AKI. Methods The patients hospitalized from May 2019 to September 2019 for AKI were included in this study. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), Youden index (J), and the area under a receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) determined a cut-off UA/A ratio for mortality. Cox-regression analysis was performed to identify UA/A as a prognostic marker of the 30-day mortality rate. Results A total of 171 patients with an average age of 69.20±13.0 (45.6% women) were included in the study. The average UA/A ratio was 3.3±1.5 mg/g and 2.5±1.0 mg/g in the non-survivor and survivor groups, respectively (P=0.001). The best cut-off UA/A ratio associated with mortality was determined as 2.4 mg/g with a specificity of 52% and a sensitivity of 77% (DOR, 3.6; J, 28.8; AUROC, 0.644). Thirty-day cumulative survival rates of the low and high UA/A ratio groups were 85.9±4.0% and 63.7±5.0%, respectively. The estimated survival times of the low and high UA/A ratio groups were 27.7 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 26.2–29.3) and 23.9 days (95% Cl, 22.0–25.9), respectively. Conclusion We found a direct correlation between 30-day mortality and UA/A ratio at initial presentation in AKI patients regardless of age, comorbidities, and clinical and laboratory findings, including albuminuria.


An exact treatment of screened electrostatics in electrolyte solutions is presented. In electrolytes the anisotropy of the exponentially decaying electrostatic potential from a molecule extends to the far field region. The full directional dependence of the electrostatic potential from a charged or uncharged molecule remains in the longest range tail (i.e. from all multipole moments). In particular, the range of the potential from an ion and that from an electroneutral polar particle is generally exactly the same. This is in contrast to the case in vacuum or pure polar liquids, where the potential from a single charge is longer ranged than that from a dipole, which is, itself, longer ranged than the one from a quadrupole etc. The orientational dependence of the exponentially screened electrostatic interaction between two molecules in electrolytes is therefore rather complex even at long distances. These facts are formalized in Yukawa multipole expansions of the electrostatic potential and the pair interaction free energy based on the Yukawa function family exp(−κr)/rm, where r is the distance, κ is a decay parameter and m is a positive integer. The expansion is formally exact for electrolytes with molecular solvent and in the primitive model, provided the non-Coulombic interactions between the particles are sufficiently short ranged. The results can also be applied in the Poisson–Boltzmann approximation. Differences and similarities to the ordinary multipole expansion of electrostatics are pointed out. On the other hand, when the non-Coulombic interactions between the constituent particles of the electrolyte solution contain a dispersion 1/r6 potential, the electrostatic potential from a molecule decays like a power law for long distances rather than as a Yukawa function. This is due to nontrivial coupling between the electrostatic and dispersion interactions. There remains an exponentially decaying component in the electrostatic potential, but it becomes oscillatory in the presence of the dispersion interactions. For weak dispersion forces and low electrolyte concentrations, the wavelength is, however, long compared to the decay length of the exponential decay. In other cases the qualitative behaviour may be substantially different from the conventional picture. The Green function for the electrostatic potential (the 'screened Coulomb potential') in simple electrolytes ultimately decays like const/r6 for large r, where the constant prefactor depends on the ratio between the strength of the dispersion forces and the square of the average ionic charge, (q++|q−|)/2.


In the design of super-tall towers, engineers often find the conventional frame systems used in countless buildings in the past decades incapable of providing the required form, performance and constructability demanded by super-tall heights. The strength of the diagrid as a structural system in high-rise towers is the total flexibility it affords the designer as an adaptable, efficient and buildable scheme. Using fundamental engineering principles combined with modern computational tools, designers can take minimum load path forms to create rationalized diagrid geometries to create optimized, highly efficient towers. The use of diagrid frames at SOM has evolved as a structural typology beginning with the large braced frames on the John Hancock Center and continued in modern applications proving to be a powerful system in meeting the demands of supertall buildings.


In magnetic fields stronger than BQ≡me2c3/ℏe=4.4×1013 Gauss, an electron's Landau excitation energy exceeds its rest energy. I review the physics of this strange regime and some of its implications for the crusts and magnetospheres of neutron stars. In particular, I describe how ultra-strong fields • render the vacuum birefringent and capable of distorting and magnifying images ("magnetic lensing"); • change the self-energy of electrons: as B increases they are first slightly lighter than me, then slightly heavier; • cause photons to rapidly split and merge with each other; • distort atoms into long, thin cylinders and molecules into strong, polymer-like chains; • enhance the pair density in thermal pair-photon gases; • strongly suppress photon-electron scattering, and • drive the vacuum itself unstable, at extremely large B. In a concluding section, I discuss the spindown of ultra-magnetized neutron stars and recent soft gamma repeater observations.


The knowledge of state information (CSI) is necessary to be known at transmitter in a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) system in order to improve the capacity performance. Among methods to realize CSI at transmitter, the use of reciprocity principle is the most attractive technique for implementation. This is because CSI at transmitter is easily estimated by the reverse channel where the forward and reverse channels are symmetrically considered in time, frequency and location. In Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode, forward and reverse links are allocated by different frequency thus channel reciprocity fails under this condition. In this paper, the capacity performances of adaptive 4x4 MIMO system based on measured data are presented. Also the feasible method to compensate the differences between TDD and FDD channels is studied. The results reveal that the capacity of adaptive MIMO system in FDD mode can be improved by compensation technique.


WHO declared the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, as a pandemic on 11th March. On 24th March, a three-week nation-wide lockdown has been announced, which is now extended till 31st May. Effective Reproduction Number (Rt) helps in understanding how effective preventive measures have been in controlling an outbreak. This study assesses the impact of nation-wide lockdown in slowing down the spread of the COVID-19 at the national and state level. An attempt has also been made to examine the important state-level factors responsible for the uneven distribution of Rt of COVID-19 across different states of India. Bayesian approach based on the probabilistic formulation of standard SIR disease transmission models have been employed assuming serial interval of 4 days and basic reproduction number (R0) of three. India's Rt has declined from 1.81 (90% HDI: 1.64, 2.00) on 1st April to Rt =1.04 (90% HDI: 0.96, 1.13) on 9th May, after that it started increasing, and Rt =1.14 (90% HDI: 1.06, 1.21) was observed on 17th May. The value of Rt at the state level has shown significant variations. The testing rate had a significant impact in reducing the Rt at the state-level. The strategy of lockdown has contributed to containing the spread of the virus to some extent, but India still has a long way to go. Testing Rate is the most significant factor at state-level, as Testing and isolating patients sooner significantly reduces the disease spread.


When migrant status and citizenship are defined by means of state categories, the language of inclusion and exclusion is key to an understanding of their contemporary shape and historical transformation. This introductory article provides an overview of some of the most relevant concepts in the discourse analysis of inand exclusion, specifically with a view to the functioning of nation-state categories. It discusses forms of discursive problematization, such as defining, claiming, legitimizing, expanding, sensationalization and suggestion, and it connects these to the discursive drawing of boundaries discussed by the authors contributing to this issue. They focus on discursive constructions of 'illegality', race, class, gender, immigrant integration and transnationalism. We argue that, as state categorizations continuously differ, both the historical analysis of their genesis, functioning and transformation and the contemporary analysis of their effectuation in practices are crucial to an understanding of inand exclusion.


Background Treat-to-target (T2T) is recommended and a widely accepted management strategy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which aims for remission or low disease activity. Disease activity is valuated by some composite measures which includes patient's and physician's global assessment, finding of joints and C reactive protein (CRP) etc. Patient's global assessment (PGA) is often the limiting factor for achieving remission. It remains unclear what is the factor contributing to elevation of PGA when finding of 28 joints and CRP implement the Boolean remission criteria. Objectives To detect the factor contributing to elevation of PGA among Japanese RA patients whose scores on the tender joint count, swollen joint count and CRP (in mg/dl) are all 1 or less. Methods We performed an analysis of data from 15032 RA patients registered in the large database (NinJa: National Database of Rheumatic Diseases by iR-net in Japan) of 2014 (1). Patients whose scores of the tender joint count, swollen joint count and CRP (in mg/dl) were all 1 or less were included. Patients whose PGA was 1 or less and patients whose PGA was more than 1 were compared with a probabilistic approach employing logistic regression to investigate factor contributing to elevation of PGA among Japanese RA patients whose scores on the tender joint count, swollen joint count and CRP are all 1 or less. Results Seven thousand and two hundred and twenty-four patients were included; 5754 were women (79.7%) with a median age 65 years, a median disease duration 9 years, 826 (11.4%) had swelling or tenderness of forefoot joints which are not included in 28 joints (forefoot disease activity), 2313 (32.0%) were prescribed glucocorticoid, methotrexate 4993 (69.1%), biologic DMARDs 1986 (27.5%). In two groups; PGA ≤1 3584 (49.6%) and PGA >1 3640 (50.4%), the median modified health assessment questionnaire (mHAQ) was 0 (interquartile range: 0–0) and 0.13 (0–0.63), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS)-anxiety (A) was 2 (1–4) and 4 (2–7), HADS-depression (D) was 4 (2–6) and 5 (3–8), forefoot disease activity was 226 (6.3%) and 600 (16.5%), respectively. We performed the logistic regression analysis with age, Steinbrocker's stage, mHAQ, HADS-A, HADS-D and forefoot disease activity. Thereafter all variables were found factors of associating to elevation of PGA (Table). Conclusions Forefoot disease activity, mHAQ, HADS-A and HADS-D contribute to elevation of PGA in patients who implement the Boolean remission criteria except PGA in Japanese rheumatoid arthritis patients. We should care about the foot joints in addition to functional disability and psychological distress for implementation of T2T strategy. References Matsui T, Kuga Y, Kaneko A, et al. Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) using C-reactive protein underestimates disease activity and overestimates EULAR response criteria compared with DAS28 using erythrocyte sedimentation rate in a large observational cohort of rheumatoid arthritis patients in Japan. Ann Rheum Dis 2007;66(9):1221–6. Acknowledgement NinJa has been supported in part by a Health and Labor Sciences Research Grant from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan. Disclosure of Interest K. Tokunaga Paid instructor for: AbbVie, Eisai Co. Ltd., and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, A. Shiraishi: None declared, S. Takenouchi: None declared, R. Yokochi: None declared, K. Muranaka: None declared, M. Shinozaki: None declared, N. Hagino Grant/research support from: Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., and Bristol Meyers Squibb, Paid instructor for: Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., J. Nishino: None declared, S. Tohma Grant/research support from: Pfizer Japan Inc., Eisai Co., Ltd and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.


MatBase is a Knowledge and Database Management System based on the Elementary Mathematical Data Model (EMDM). Its relational import subsystem provides users with the ability to incorporate databases from IBM DB/2, Oracle, or MS SQL Server and Access RDBMS. During import, besides copying table schemes and data, corresponding EMDM scheme and entity-relationship diagram (E-RD) are generated too and a design checking is also performed, including keys, references integrity, and existence constraints, as well as optional E-RD closed loops signalization. Checking is done according to MatBase higher relational standards: for example, every table should have an autonumber primary key, at least another (semantic) key and a not-null column, all keys should be minimally one-to-one, whereas all foreign keys should reference primary keys. Whenever this is possible, design flaws are automatically corrected; when not, they are only logged into MatBase system tables. The paper focuses on the two linear translation algorithms from the relational data model (RDM) to EMDM and ERDM that are reverse conceptual engineering tools reconstructing object-oriented mathematical semantics and visual structuring respectively from relational syntax. As an example, these algorithms are applied to a RDM domain-key normal form meta-catalog database.


Intellectual disability is clinically recognized in childhood and adolescence by deficits in cognitive and adaptive abilities. The prevalence of intellectual disability is 1% in the general population. While most individuals have mild intellectual disability, 6 per 1,000 individuals have severe intellectual disability. In persons with mild intellectual disability a specific underlying etiology is generally not recognized; whereas, a specific genetic or biologic etiology is more likely to be recognized in persons who have severe intellectual disability. The diagnosis of intellectual disability requires clinical evaluation and judgment as well as a formal testing of the cognitive and adaptive functions. Such formal testing is done by individually administered standardized tests. The treatment of persons with intellectual disability at an individual level depends on the identified underlying cause, if any, and appropriate support to allow optimal functioning and independent living. Persons who have severe intellectual disability require life-long intensive supports. In addition to general medical care, persons who have intellectual disability also need interventions in the educational settings, provision of educational remediation and accommodations, and appropriate level of community based support. The management, quality of life and longevity vary depending up on the severity of intellectual disability and adequacy of community based support systems.


Nanotechnology is being used to create innovative food packaging systems that can inhibit the oxidation of foods, thereby improving their quality, safety, and shelf life. These nano-enabled antioxidant packaging materials may therefore increase the healthiness and sustainability of the food supply chain. Recent progress in the application of nanotechnology to create antioxidant packaging materials is reviewed in this paper. The utilization of nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanocrystals, and nanoemulsions to incorporate antioxidants into these packaging materials is highlighted. The application of nano-enabled antioxidant packaging materials to preserve meat, seafood, fruit, vegetable, and other foods is then discussed. Finally, future directions and challenges in the development of this kind of active packaging material are highlighted to stimulate new areas of future research. Nanotechnology has already been used to create antioxidant packaging materials that inhibit oxidative deterioration reactions in foods, thereby prolonging their shelf life and reducing food waste. However, the safety, cost, efficacy, and scale-up of this technology still needs to be established before it will be commercially viable for many applications.


For assays involving glycosyltransferases or transporters, several GDP-sugars are either commercially unavailable or expensive. We describe an enzymatic synthesis of GDP-d-[3H]arabinosep and GDP-l-[3H]fucose that yields 66-95% nucleotide-sugar from the appropriate radiolabeled sugar in less than 30 min. The coupled reaction requires Mg2+, ATP, and GTP along with the appropriate radioactive monosaccharide, sugar-1-kinase, and pyrophosphorylase. The latter two activities are present in a cytosolic fraction of Crithidia fasciculata, which is easily grown at room temperature in simple culture medium without serum or added CO2. Addition of commercial yeast inorganic pyrophosphatase shifts the equilibrium of the pyrophosphorylase reaction toward nucleotide-sugar formation. To verify that these nucleotide-sugars are biologically active, we tested their ability to serve as substrates for glycosyltransferases. GDP-l-[3H]fucose functions as the donor substrate for recombinant human fucosyltransferase V, and GDP-d-[3H]arabinosep serves as the donor substrate for the arabinosyltransferase activities present in Leishmania major microsomes.


Is the solution for the proliferation of journals yet another journal? The publishers of Current Opinion in Ophthalmology , a review-oriented journal, certainly hope so—and they may be right. By starting with more than 200 journals of ophthalmology and related disciplines, scanning them, and entering relevant articles into a computerized database that is used by section editors assigned to particular subspecialties, they have made it possible comprehensively to review an entire aspect of ophthalmology once a year. Each of the six issues per year is devoted to two broad topics. For example, the first issue is devoted to cataract surgery and lens implantation (edited by Richard L. Lindstrom, MD) and optics, refraction, and visual function (edited by David Miller, MD). Topics discussed in subsequent issues included glaucoma, uveitis, the retina, and the cornea. The goal of a comprehensive annual review appears to have been achieved. Individual articles either are solely an


We propose a theoretical description of the phase diagram and physical properties in A(2)Fe(4)Se(5)-type (A=K, Tl) compounds based on a coexistent local moment and itinerant electron picture. Using neutron scattering and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements to fix the general structure of the local moment and itinerant Fermi pockets, we find a superconducting phase with s-wave pairing at the M pockets and an incipient sign-change s wave near the Γ point, which is adjacent to the insulating phases. The uniform susceptibility and resistivity are found to be consistent with the experiment. The main distinction with iron pnictide superconductors is also discussed.


This paper intends to describe three concepts of education according to the Qur'an which consist of ta'lim, ta'dib and tarbiyyah. Of course in the Koran these three words contain the meaning of education, but it needs to be emphasized that these words have their own meaning. This paper will reveal this by using a linguistic approach, the author will explain it comprehensively from various kinds of interpretations. The method used in this paper is the library research method or literature study. In conclusion, the concept of education according to the Koran is unique. The words at-tarbiyat, at-ta'lim, and at-ta'dib show a concept of education in these three concepts that complement each other and are included in educational goals that cannot be separated from one another.


The present study aims to investigate different samples of honey from District Dadu Sindh for its pollen analysis. For this investigation, eight different locations were selected for honey sampling. The evaluation of different pollen parameters of several honey samplesrevealed variation in terms of quantity, quality and pollen parameters, such as pollen count, pollen size, pollen shape number and position of the opening of the pollen. Based on their mellissopalynological research, 25 plant species belonging to 18 different families were identified. Of 18 families, Mimosaceae was observed as the most dominant family in the area sampled with its three representatives. Nevertheless; Rhamnaceae, Fabaceae and Myrtaceae, were registered as the second main families in this contest with two species of each. Zizyphus jujuba was noted as the most attractive taxa for bees in the sampled area because it was present in four samples out of a total eight. Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia niloticaand Lawsonia alba were graded as the second leading taxon in the area in which they were present in three of eight samples. Capparis decidua, Mangifera indica, Psidium guajava, Rosa sp., Azadirachta indica and Brassica campestris were present in two samples and thus occupied third leading taxon in the sampling area. The study would be helpful for botanists in general and melissopalynologists particularly to promote honey industry in the area.


In this study, A novel adsorbent material of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/ferrous chloride (FeCl2) composite nanofibers is prepared by electrospinning, a simple and effective method. The obtained composite nanofibers have a non-uniform morphology and structure and a large specific surface area of 13.8 m2 g-1. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that Fe2+ was successful introduced into the composite nanofibers. Furthermore, the PAN/FeC12 composite nanofibers exhibited excellent performance in Cr removal, especially when reacted with reduction from a Cr(VI) standard containing solution, which has much faster removal efficiency than the previous report of Lin et al. (2011). The results of the adsorption isotherm show that the data fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption of chromium ions composite nanofibers is 108 mgCr/gFeCl2. An attempted model prediction of the transient dynamics of adsorption-desorption elucidated the feasible kinetic analysis of Cr6+ from the PAN/FeCl2 composite nanofibers. This kinetic modeling can be used both for adsorption of heavy metals wastewater and for organic-adsorption and biosorption of diverse wastewaters. The PAN/FeCl2 composite nanofibers producted in this study exhibit high efficiency in Cr(VI) removal from wastewater, and may be used as a reference for future investigation.


Using modern social media solutions requires skills and technical knowledge that elders usually do not possess. In this paper we present social network adapted for elders in order to reconnect them with friends and family. Main features of this social network are platform independent video communication, simple user interface and intuitive navigation. In addition, we integrated e-health service to expand usability of developed social network by providing elders with a content they might find interesting.


Abstract : From 1960 through 1972, the Artificial Intelligence Center at SRI conducted research on a mobile robot system nicknamed "Shakey." Endowed with a limited ability to perceive and model its environment, Shakey could perform tasks that required planning, route finding, and the rearranging of simple objects. Although the Shakey project led to numerous advances in AI techniques, many of which were reported in the literature, much specific in formation that might be useful in current robotics research appears only in a series of relatively inaccessible SRI technical reports. Our purpose here, consequently, is to make this material more readily available by extracting and reprinting those sections of the reports that seem particularly interesting, relevant and important.


Introduction Several recent high-profile sports-related deaths have highlighted the significance of these events for the general public. However, dedicated data collection of sport-related serious and fatal injuries remains limited. The purpose of this review was to 1) consider whether existing data sources are adequate to capture sport-related fatalities, and 2) describe the potential for these to be used for surveillance of sports-related fatalities. Methods Data sources used to record fatalities were identified, drawing from the authors' knowledge/experience and a review of key international injury surveillance guidelines from the World Health Organization, United States National Center for Health Statistics, and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The purpose, case identification, structure, strengths, and limitations of each source in relation to sport-related fatalities were considered. Examples from peer reviewed literature were identified to illustrate the use of different data sources. Results Seven groups of data sources were tabulated: [1] surveillance systems, registries; [2] government vital statistics; [3] emergency services; [4] insurance, compensation; [5] sport/club specific; [6] research studies; and [7] publicly available records, such as media reports). The ability to identify features of sport-relatedness was a common limitation of data sources. Other shortcomings of extant data sources included lack of data on participant-exposures; restrictions on types of deaths captured; and the limitations in the level of detail on activity and circumstances. Data sources dedicated to sports fatality surveillance were most relevant in terms of activity-based information, but these were uncommon. Only one source permitted international comparisons and was limited to one sport (soccer). Conclusion Data on sport-related fatalities are currently collected using a range of disparate approaches. This review highlights that existing data sources are insufficient to capture all sport-related fatalities. We recommend establishing a consistent, comprehensive and standardised approach that would facilitate international sharing of data on fatal sports injuries.


Recently video generation has achieved substantial progress with realistic results. Nevertheless, existing AI-generated videos are usually very short clips ("shot-level") depicting a single scene. To deliver a coherent long video ("story-level"), it is desirable to have creative transition and prediction effects across different clips. This paper presents a short-to-long video diffusion model, SEINE, that focuses on generative transition and prediction. The goal is to generate high-quality long videos with smooth and creative transitions between scenes and varying lengths of shot-level videos. Specifically, we propose a random-mask video diffusion model to automatically generate transitions based on textual descriptions. By providing the images of different scenes as inputs, combined with text-based control, our model generates transition videos that ensure coherence and visual quality. Furthermore, the model can be readily extended to various tasks such as image-to-video animation and autoregressive video prediction. To conduct a comprehensive evaluation of this new generative task, we propose three assessing criteria for smooth and creative transition: temporal consistency, semantic similarity, and video-text semantic alignment. Extensive experiments validate the effectiveness of our approach over existing methods for generative transition and prediction, enabling the creation of story-level long videos. Project page: https://vchitect.github.io/SEINE-project/ .


Objective:Many biological differences seen in men and women are driven by relative different level of estrogen and testosterone. Transgender individuals may need gender-affirming intervention like inhibiting of endogenous sex hormones or replenishing cross-hormone to induce physical change to stim-ulate their expressed or experienced gender. However, recent study has concluded that the incidences of acute cardiovascular events are higher in transwomen receiving transgender hormone therapy (1). Transgender therapy for adults with Testosterone in female to male (FtM); with Estrogen and anti-androgen in male to female (MtF) are frequently prescribed in Taiwan. The aim of this study is to investigate metabolic effects of an altered sex hormone profile on different gender. Methods:The study is a retrospective study conducted in a tertiary medical center in Northern Taiwan analyzing biological differences over time for 65 FtM and 45 MtF patients in our endocrine out-patient department. The results from the exams are analyzed separately using paired t-test compared to baseline visit. The transgender individuals are examined at four time points; before the cross-hormone therapy, three, six, and twelve months following sex hormone treatment. Results:The primary outcome was that FtM patients showed sig-nificant increases in BMI (22.6±0.3 v.s. 23.3±0.4 kg/m 2 ; P<0.001; t=6M), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (124±3 vs.131±3 mg/dL; P=0.03; t=12M), creatinine (0.75±0.01 vs.0.83±0.14 mg/dL; P<0.001; t=12M), and hemoglobin (13.5±0.7 v.s. 15.2±0.19 g/dL; P<0.001; t=12M) compared to the baseline; decreases of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (57±2.1 v.s.


Objective: Identify and describe physical factors (FF) conditioning the resuspension of particulate matter (RPM) in road environments and their possible influence on urban air quality. Methodology: the literature review was conducted in ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis, Springer and Scopus databases between the years 1990-2017. The order of importance for the FFs was established by a citation frequency index (Q). The conditioning FFs identified were as follows: dust road particle size (Q1 = 0.842), vehicle traffic (Q2 = 0.742) and traffic composition (Q2 = 0.630). Results: the results showed that on urban roads there were potential resuspension particles between <0.25-10 ìm and its main sources of emission in order of importance were as follows: deposited road sediment (18.8%), tyre wear (2.5%), brake wear (2.5%) and pavement wear (1.30%). A linear relationship (R2 = 0.531) was identified between vehicle traffic density (veh./h) and PM10 concentration (ìg/m3). Regarding the traffic composition, on average, the highest emission factors for RPM were associated with heavy-duty vehicles (1016 mg/VKT) in relation to light-duty vehicles (53.4 mg/VKT) and motorcycles (3.95 mg/VKT). Finally, this review showed that Europe, Asia and North America registered the highest amount of studies on PMR (92.2%) while in Latin America these were scarce (7.80%).


Wound repair is a complex biologic process which becomes abnormal in numerous disease states. Although in vitro models have been important in identifying critical repair pathways in specific cell populations, in vivo models are necessary to obtain a more comprehensive and pertinent understanding of human wound healing. The laboratory mouse has long been the most common animal research tool and numerous transgenic strains and models have been developed to help researchers study the molecular pathways involved in wound repair and regeneration. This paper aims to highlight common surgical mouse models of cutaneous disease and to provide investigators with a better understanding of the benefits and limitations of these models for translational applications.


Exposure to bioaerosols causes various adverse health effects including infectious and respiratory diseases, and hypersensitivity. Controlling exposure to bioaerosols is important for disease control and prevention. In this study, we evaluated the efficacies of various functional filters coated with antimicrobial chemicals in deactivating representative microorganisms on filters or as bioaerosols. Tested functional filters were coated with different chemicals that included (i) Ginkgo and sumac, (ii) Ag-apatite and guanidine phosphate, (iii) SiO2, ZnO, and Al2O3, and (iv) zeolite. To evaluate the filters, we used a model ventilation system (1) to evaluate the removal efficiency of bacteria (Escherichia coli and Legionella pneumophila), bacterial spores (Bacillus subtilis spore), and viruses (MS2 bacteriophage) on various functional filters, and (2) to characterize the removal efficiency of these bioaerosols. All experiments were performed at a constant temperature of 25 degrees C and humidity of 50%. Most bacteria (excluding B. subtilis) rapidly decreased on the functional filter. Therefore, we confirmed that functional filters have antimicrobial effects. Additionally, we evaluated the removal efficiency of various bioaerosols by these filters. We used a six-jet collision nebulizer to generate microbial aerosols and introduced it into the environmental chamber. We then measured the removal efficiency of functional filters with and without a medium-efficiency filter. Most bioaerosol concentrations did not significantly decrease by the functional filter only but decreased by a combination of functional and medium-efficiency filter. In conclusion, functional filters could facilitate biological removal of various bioaerosols, but physical removal of these by functional was minimal. Proper use of chemical-coated filter materials could reduce exposure to these agents.


Msx1 plays a key role in early dental and cranio-facial patterning. A systematic screening of Msx1 transcripts during late postnatal stages of development evidenced not only sense mRNA but also antisense mRNA in the skeleton. Natural antisenses are able to bind their corresponding sense RNAs and block protein expression. Specific reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) Northern-blotting using riboprobes and primer extension analysis allowed to identify and sequence a mouse 2184-base Msx1 antisense transcript. The transcription start site was located in a region including a consensus TATA box. In situ hybridization evidenced an increase in antisense mRNA expression during dental and bone cell differentiation in prenatal (Theiler stages E15.5-18.5) and newborn mice. This upregulation was related to Msx1 protein downregulation in cells expressing Msx1 sense mRNA. In vitro, transient Msx1 sense and antisense mRNA overexpression was performed in MO6-G3 cells, which pertain to the odontoblast lineage (polarization and dentin sialoprotein and phosphoprotein synthesis). The balance between antisense and sense Msx1 mRNAs appeared to control Msx1 protein levels. These data suggest that a bidirectional transcription of Msx1 homeogene may control Msx1 protein levels, and therefore may be critical in cell communication and differentiation during dental and cranio-facial development and mineralization.


Two aphasia tests — the Cookie Theft Test and the Boston Naming Test — were adapted to help eliminate western cultural, language and education bias in neurocognitive screening in South Africa. These tests were among the commonly used tests initially chosen for inclusion in a larger neurocognitive screening battery currently being developed and translated for use in South Africa — the Groote Schuur Neurocognitive Battery. The adaptations were made employing quantitative and qualitative converging lines of evidence to evaluate their efficacy. This evidence included consultation with clinicians at Groote Schuur Hospital and translators knowledgeable in Afrikaans and isiXhosa language and culture, qualitative feedback from the research participants, and the results on the tests. The adapted tests were piloted by testing 30 neurocognitively intact controls consisting of equal numbers of Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa speakers, comparing their scores to their performances on the original tests. Three aphasic patients were also briefly tested. Results indicate that the adaptations made to the tests improved the performance of controls over the original versions, and tentatively suggest that the adapted tests should be able to screen for aphasia. This pilot study recommends further changes to the Groote Schuur Naming Test before its introduction into the battery ahead of its validation.


The new management core curriculum was launched at South Dakota State University in 2012 designed for programs at the institution affiliated with decision sciences, applied management and economics. A task force of business and industry leaders working with faculty developed a set of key competencies for graduates from management-related programs. Based on those competencies, an ad hoc group of multidisciplinary faculty in the Colleges of Engineering, Agriculture and Biological Sciences, Education and Human Sciences, and Arts and Sciences designated a four-course sequence named the Management Core to address key elements of the competencies. The undergraduate Operations Management program, housed in the College of Engineering, is preparing for accreditation under ABET - Applied Sciences Accreditation Commission (ASAC) and has adopted the management core. The competencies developed by the external task force are reflected in the program educational outcomes. Department faculty accomplishes data collection on student outcomes and continuous improvement. Our challenge has been in working with departments in other colleges to design and execute an assessment plan for the courses in the Core that will meet divergent accreditation requirements. Philosophical differences on assessment, concerns about additional work to collect and organize outcome data, and faculty governance have been points of departure. To address these issues, a multidisciplinary Division of Economics and Management was formed which includes a Faculty Advisory Committee empowered to develop a framework for cross-disciplinary collaboration in course delivery and assessment. In recent weeks, engineering faculty have conducted workshops on outcome assessment and continuous improvement based on the ABET model for faculty in other colleges. This has produced better understanding of the assessment process and the value in well-designed outcome measures. This paper provides insight on the challenges and rewards of multidisciplinary curriculum development framed against ABET-ASAC accreditation requirements.


Approximately 90% of Americans aged 2 years or older consume too much sodium (1). The consumption of too much sodium increases blood pressure, which increases the risk for stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and renal disease (2). Population-based strategies to reduce salt intake are cost-effective, can reduce blood pressure (3), and, according to the Institute of Medicine, are needed at national, state, and community levels (2). To improve food environments and reduce sodium intake at the community level, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds the Sodium Reduction in Communities Program (SRCP). This demonstration project supports communities in creating more healthful food environments and aims to expand the evidence base for effective community strategies to address sodium intake at the population level. In this article, we describe the role of communities and environments in influencing health and strategies being implemented and evaluated by SRCP communities.


Special Re-use TDMA (STDMA) emerges as a promising channel access technique for providing Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees in multi-hop ad Hoc networks such as community mesh and sensor networks. The contention-free channel access combined with special reuse of the channel provides significant benefits in the energy/throughput trade-off. However, the protocol may introduce scheduling delay if, on the same path, an outbound link on a router is scheduled to transmit before an inbound link on that router. The total scheduling delay can be quite large since it accumulates at every hop on a path. This paper presents a method to solve this problem to improve the performance of the network system. Compared to the origin STDMA protocol, simulation results present us the superior performance of the proposed algorithm.


Late muscular responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation occur in healthy subjects only in tonically active muscles with a proportional relationship between the amount of the EMG-response and the voluntary innervation strength. In hemiparetic stroke patients late potentials are elicited in chronically spastic hand flexors without voluntary background muscular activity probably reflecting enhanced excitability of spinal alpha-motoneurons in the spastic state. When spastic muscle hypertonus has been diminished by sustained muscle stretch late EMG-potentials are reduced or have disappeared completely. The relation between spastic muscle hypertonus and the late muscular response potentials as well as the possible mechanisms of sustained muscle stretch on the response characteristics to transcranial magnetic stimulation in spastic flexor muscles of the hand are discussed.


With the growth of people's consumption demand and the popularization of transportation, ecotourism has gradually entered people's vision and become a fashionable choice for people's leisure. Since the reform and opening up, tourism has increasingly become a popular and popular form of consumption. It appears in people's life and has the characteristics of personalization, leisure, and diversification. Based on the understanding of the current situation of the integrated development of ecotourism and sports tourism, this paper discusses the integrated development strategy of the ecotourism industry and sports health industry. As an important content and component of rural industry, it is very necessary to promote the better development of ecotourism. It is also an important task to implement the Rural Revitalization Strategy. It has important value and significance for improving the rural industrial structure and promoting rural economic development. The purpose of this study is to promote the coordinated development of the ecotourism and sports health industry and to provide help for the stable development of tourism in the market competition environment.


ABSTRACT Objectives: An Electroencephalogram (EEG) is the result of co-operative actions performed by brain cells. In other words, it can be defined as the time course of extracellular field potentials that are generated due to the synchronous action of cells. It is widely used for the analysis and diagnosis of several conditions. But this clinical data use to be multi-dimensional, context-dependent, complex, and it causes a concoction of various computing related research challenges. The objective of this study was to develop a computer-aided diagnosis system for epilepsy detection using EEG signals to ease the diagnosis process. Materials: In this study, EEG datasets for epilepsy disease detection were taken from a public domain (Bonn University, Germany). These EEG recordings contain 100 single-channel EEG signals with maximum duration of 23.6 seconds. This data set was recorded intra-cranially and extra-cranially with the help of a 128-channel amplifier system using a common reference point. Results: For a unique set of EEG signal features, the Optimized Artificial Neural Network model for classification and validation was developed with optimum neurons in the hidden layer. Results were tested on the basis of accuracy, sensitivity, precision, and specificity for all classes. The proposed Particle Swarm Optimized Artificial Neural Network provided 99.3% accuracy for EEG signal classification. Discussion: Our results indicate that artificial neural network has efficiency to provide higher accuracy for epilepsy detection if the statistical features are extracted carefully. It is also possible to improve results for real time diagnosis by using optimization technique for error reduction. Abbreviations: EEG: Electroencephalogram CAD: Computer-Aided Diagnosis ANN: Artificial Neural Network PSO: Particle Swarm Optimization FIR: Finite Impulse Response IIR: Infinite Impulse Response MSE: Mean Square Error.


Outbreaks of infectious diseases caused by viruses, such as pseudorabies (PR), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), and PPR viruses, led to economic losses reaching billions of dollars. Both PR and FMD were eliminated in several countries via large-scale vaccination programs using DIVA-compatible vaccines, which lack the gE protein and nonstructural proteins, respectively. However, there are still extensive challenges facing the development and deployment of DIVA-compatible vaccines because they are time-consuming and full of uncertainty. Further, the negative marker strategy used for DIVA-compatible vaccines is no longer functional for live-attenuated vaccines. To avoid these disadvantageous scenarios, a new strategy is desired. Here, we made the exciting discovery that different IgG serodynamics can be monitored when using protein-based assays versus arrays comprising ECSPs. This DIVA microarray strategy should, in theory, work for any vaccine. ABSTRACT Differentiating infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA) strategies have been central enabling techniques in several successful viral disease elimination programs. However, owing to their long and uncertain development process, no DIVA-compatible vaccines are available for many important diseases. We report herein a new DIVA strategy based on hybrid protein-peptide microarrays which can theoretically work with any vaccine. Leading from our findings from peste des petits ruminants (PPR) virus, we found 4 epitope-containing short peptides (ECSPs) which have distinct IgG serodynamics: anti-ECSP IgGs only exist for 10 to 60 days postvaccination (dpv), while anti-protein IgGs remained at high levels for >1,000 dpv. These data enabled the design of a DIVA diagnostic microarray containing 4 ECSPs and 3 proteins, which, unlike competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) and virus neutralization tests (VNTs), enables ongoing monitoring of serological differences between vaccinated individuals and individuals exposed to the pathogen. For 25 goats after 60 dpv, 13 were detected with positive anti-ECSP IgGs, indicating recent infections in vaccinated goat herds. These DIVA diagnostic microarrays will almost certainly facilitate eradication programs for (re)emerging pathogens and zoonoses. IMPORTANCE Outbreaks of infectious diseases caused by viruses, such as pseudorabies (PR), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), and PPR viruses, led to economic losses reaching billions of dollars. Both PR and FMD were eliminated in several countries via large-scale vaccination programs using DIVA-compatible vaccines, which lack the gE protein and nonstructural proteins, respectively. However, there are still extensive challenges facing the development and deployment of DIVA-compatible vaccines because they are time-consuming and full of uncertainty. Further, the negative marker strategy used for DIVA-compatible vaccines is no longer functional for live-attenuated vaccines. To avoid these disadvantageous scenarios, a new strategy is desired. Here, we made the exciting discovery that different IgG serodynamics can be monitored when using protein-based assays versus arrays comprising ECSPs. This DIVA microarray strategy should, in theory, work for any vaccine.


In Wuhan City, the province of Hubei, China, there appeared an unusual epidemic of pneumonia of uncertain ethology in December 2019 A novel coronavirus was identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the triggering agent and subsequently named COVID-19 Considered a relative of SARS, which infected the lower respiratory tract and manifested in people as pneumonia, COVID-19 is the product of a beta-Corona virus called SARS-COV-2 The frequency of COVID-19 infection continue to increase, with more than 278,467 deaths worldwide till May 9, 2020 To stop their further spread scientists and researchers are racing to investigate the nature of this virus and their effects We summarize the current state of knowledge around COVID-19and the role of some dietary vitamins and immune enhancers that may help the immune system in fight against COVID-19 Moreover, it also highlights the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on pollution particularly in India, in response to this global outbreak


A method has been developed by which molecularly smooth surfaces may be placed together and the area of contact formed between them measured. Selected sheets of mica were cleaved to be free from cleavage steps on both sides of the sheets. These were bowed up and mounted as crossed cylinders in an apparatus in which normal and tangential loads could be applied. The area of contact formed between the surfaces has been examined using multiple-beam interference techniques. Examination of the hue and intensity of the central region of the interferograms enables a separation of the mica sheets to be detected even if this is of only a few ångströms. This means that the boundary of the region of contact may be determined with a greater precision than has hitherto been possible. Fringes of equal chromatic order provide a sensitive means for the detection of small particles of accidental contamination and have been used to show when the contact is intimate over the whole region. Normal and tangential forces have been applied to the mica specimens, both when in a clean condition and when covered with a monomolecular layer of calcium stearate. The area of contact was observed simultaneously. The area and the force required to shear it being known, the shear strength of the junctions has been calculated. The damage occurring during the process has been examined using reflexion electron microscopy. At certain values of the tangential force smooth sliding takes place on the lubricated surfaces and no surface damage can be detected. Further increase of the tangential force produces a rapid slip causing fragments to be torn out of the surface and some damage occurs. No smooth sliding was detected on unlubricated surfaces of mica and the damage produced during the slip was extensive. The force required to shear the junction formed between clean smooth mica surfaces is very high. A value of 10 Kg/mm2has been obtained. For the monomolecular layers of calcium stearate the value obtained is about forty times lower but is by no means negligible. This means that a considerable force is required to shear a film of boundary lubricant and accounts for the otherwise unexplained observation that when metals are lubricated with a single molecular layer of soap or fatty acid the frictional force is reduced by only a factor of 10 while the wear decreases by a factor of 10000 or more.


The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has ravaged the world with its novel symptoms, infection rates, and death toll. The research community continues to learn more about the sequalae of the infection as it does not follow the pattern of a typical coronavirus. This is a case of persisting auditory and visual hallucinations in a 46-year-old woman after a COVID-19 induced delirium. The hallucinations remained, despite recovery from the virus, for almost three months with resolution of all other signs and symptoms. The hallucinations eventually disappeared and their persistence was believed to be continued symptomatology after treatment.


Addressing glycation-induced oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an emerging pharmacotherapeutic strategy. Restoration of the brain glyoxalase enzyme system that neutralizes reactive dicarbonyls is one such approach. Toward this end, we designed, synthesized, and evaluated a γ-glutamyl transpeptidase-resistant glyoxalase substrate, ψ-GSH. Although mechanistically successful, the oral efficacy of ψ-GSH appeared as an area in need of improvement. Herein, we describe our rationale for the creation of prodrugs that mask the labile sulfhydryl group. In vitro and in vivo stability studies identified promising prodrugs that could deliver pharmacologically relevant brain levels of ψ-GSH. When administered orally to a mouse model generated by the intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ1–42, the compounds conferred cognitive benefits. Biochemical and histological examination confirmed their effects on neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Collectively, we have identified orally efficacious prodrugs of ψ-GSH that are able to restore brain glyoxalase activity and mitigate inflammatory and oxidative pathology associated with AD.