WORKPLACE BULLYING: A NATIONAL SURVEY OF DENTAL HYGIENISTS Savannah Dawn Sundburg Old Dominion University, 2019 Director: Prof. Susan L. Tolle Problem: Workplace bullying in health care affects career satisfaction, career longevity and patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine if bullying was occurring in dental hygiene employment settings as well as its prevalence in a convenience sample of dental hygienists. Methods: After IRB approval, 1200 subscribers to a professional dental hygiene journal were invited to participate. Employing the validated Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R), participants were asked to indicate how often they experienced 22 defined negative behaviors according to rate of occurrence (never, now and then or monthly, weekly or daily) over the past six months. Bullying was defined as experiencing two or more of the 22 behaviors at least weekly. Participants were also asked to respond to six demographic questions relating to gender, age, employment setting, ethnicity, education level and years of practice. Results: An overall response rate of 12.5% (N=154) was obtained. Data revealed 28% (n=44) of participants met the criteria for being bullied, as defined by the NAQ-R. Of this number, three or more negative acts were experienced by 22% of participants at least weekly and six percent of participants experienced two negative acts. Participants with 5 to 10 years of experience had the highest prevalence of bullying. No significant differences (p=.11) were found when comparing bullying mean scores of participants in solo dental practices (x̄= 34.3, n=83) versus group dental practices (x̄=39, n=52). Participants with 11 to 19 years of experience experienced significantly less bullying (x̄=31.9, n=30) compared to those with 5 to 10 years' experience (x̄= 42.8, n=26) (p=.01). Conclusion: Workplace bullying is a serious problem for many dental hygienists. Recognizing the occurrence is an important first step in addressing needed preventive measures and policies for those targeted. Over one-fourth of respondents indicated they experienced workplace bullying. Findings underscore the need for more research to determine bullying prevalence in a larger sample of dental hygienists as well as to develop strategies for prevention.


Zinc is an essential micronutrient for plant growth and development, and functions as a cofactor for hundreds of transcription factors and enzymes in numerous biological processes. Zinc deficiency is common abiotic stress resulting in yield loss and quality deterioration of crops, but zinc excess causes toxicity for biological systems. In plants, zinc homeostasis is tightly modulated by zinc transporters and binding compounds that uptake/release, transport, localize, and store zinc, as well as their upstream regulators. Lazarus 1 (LAZ1), a member of DUF300 protein family, functions as transmembrane organic solute transporter in vertebrates. However, the function of LAZ1 in plants is still obscure. In the present study, the ZmLAZ1-4 protein was confirmed to bind to zinc ions by bioinformatic prediction and thermal shift assay. Heterologous expression of ZmLAZ1-4 in the zinc-sensitive yeast mutant, Arabidopsis, and maize significantly facilitated the accumulation of Zn2+ in transgenic lines, respectively. The result of subcellular localization exhibited that ZmLAZ1-4 was localized on the plasma and vacuolar membrane, as well as chloroplast. Moreover, the ZmLAZ1-4 gene was negatively co-expressed with ZmBES1/BZR1-11 gene through co-expression and real-time quantitative PCR analysis. The results of yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase assay suggested that ZmBES1/BZR1-11 could bind to ZmLAZ1-4 promoter to inhibit its transcription. All results indicated that ZmLAZ1-4 was a novel zinc transporter on plasma and vacuolar membrane, and transported zinc under negative regulation of the ZmBES1/BZR1-11 transcription factor. The study provides insights into further underlying the mechanism of ZmLAZ1-4 regulating zinc homeostasis.


Context-aware applications pose new challenges, including a need for new computational models, uncertainty management, and efficient optimization under uncertainty. Uncertainty can arise at two levels: multiple and single tasks. When a mobile user changes environments, the context changes resulting in the possibility of the user requesting tasks which are specific for the new environment. However as the user moves these requested tasks may no longer be context relevant. Additionally, the runtime of each task is often highly dependent on the input data. We introduce an hierarchical multi-resolution statistical task model that captures relevant aspects at the task and intertask levels, and captures not only uncertainty, but also introduces the notion of utility for the user. We have developed a system of nonparametric statistical techniques for modeling the runtime of a specific task. This model is a framework where we define problems of design and optimization of statistical soft real-time systems (SSRTS). The main algorithmic novelty is a cumulative potential-based task scheduling heuristic for maximizing utility. The heuristic conducts global optimization and induces low runtime overhead. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the scheduling heuristic using a Trimaran-based evaluation platform.


Mutation study is an important strategy to dissect gene functions. Classical chemical or irradiation mutagenesis is one of the most powerful screen approaches to uncover genes involved in certain genetic pathways. However, the tedious works to hunt down the gene corresponding to a mutant allele by map-base cloning make an intrinsic limitation of this approach. Loss-of-function mutations resulting from Transferred DNA (T-DNA) insertion or Mobile Genetic Elements (MGE) insertion have overcome this shortcoming. Transgenic approaches are also useful to circumvent the difficulties in the study of gene function because of genetic redundancy or lethality. Gain-of-function mutations achieved by activated expression of endogenous genes by transcription enhancer or by specific gene over-expression through transformation have also revealed function of many plant genes. This review will describe the major loss or gain-of-function mutagenesis approaches by TDNA vector transformation or endogenous MGE and those available insertion mutant resources which have greatly facilitated the researchers to extensively identify gene functions in the past few years.


Optical switching offers the potential to significantly scale the capacity of data center networks (DCN) with a simultaneous reduction in switching time and power consumption. Previous research has shown that end-to-end switching time, which is the sum of the switch configuration time and the clock and data recovery (CDR) locking time, should be kept within a few nanoseconds for high network throughput. This challenge of low switching time has motivated research into fast optical switches, ultra-fast clock and amplitude recovery techniques. Concurrently, the data rate between server-to-server and server-to-switch interconnect is increasing drastically from the current 100 Gb/s (4 × 25 Gb/s) to 400 Gb/s and beyond, motivating the use of high order formats such as 50-GBaud four-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM-4) for signalling. Since PAM-4 is more sensitive to noise and distortion, digital equalizers are generally needed to compensate for impairments such as transceiver frequency roll-off, dispersion and optical filtering, adding additional time for equalizer adaptation and power consumption that are undesired for fast optical switching systems. Here we propose and investigate an equalizer state caching technique that reduces equalizer adaptation time and computation power consumption for fast optical switching systems, underpinning optically-switched DCNs using high baud rate and impairment-sensitive formats. Through a proof-of-concept experiment, we study the performance of the proposed equalizer state caching scheme in a three-node optical switching system using 56 GBaud PAM-4. Our experimental results show that the proposed scheme can tolerate up to ±0.8-nm (±100-GHz) instantaneous wavelength change with an adaptation delay of only 0.36 ns. Practical considerations such as clock phase misalignment, temperature-induced wavelength drift, and equalizer precision are also studied.


Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation is fast becoming a popular alternative treatment method for various health disorders. The authors investigated the effects of auricular vagus nerve stimulation at tragus for activating the parasympathetic nervous system to reduce stress, in light of mixed results from other studies. Stimulation frequency of 25 Hz with a pulse-width of 200 μs was administered at tragus with ECG data recorded during preand post-stimulation trials to investigate changes in the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) parameters of heart rate variability (HRV). The results from five subjects demonstrate an increase in the HF component and a decrease in LF when comparing preand poststimulation values, denoting that VNS stimulated more of the parasympathetic activity. The LF/HF ratio was reduced for all participants after stimulation, with an average reduction of 64.5% observed. Overall, this study has indicated the feasibility of using tragus as a stimulation site to stimulate the vagus nerve; tragus being easier to administrate than many alternative sites while still being effective for stress reduction.


Applying link prediction (LP) methods over knowledge graphs (KG) for tasks such as causal event prediction presents an exciting opportunity. However, typical LP models are ill-suited for this task as they are incapable of performing inductive link prediction for new, unseen event entities and they require retraining as knowledge is added or changed in the underlying KG. We introduce a case-based reasoning model, EvCBR, to predict properties about new consequent events based on similar cause-effect events present in the KG. EvCBR uses statistical measures to identify similar events and performs path-based predictions, requiring no training step. To generalize our methods beyond the domain of event prediction, we frame our task as a 2-hop LP task, where the first hop is a causal relation connecting a cause event to a new effect event and the second hop is a property about the new event which we wish to predict. The effectiveness of our method is demonstrated using a novel dataset of newsworthy events with causal relations curated from Wikidata, where EvCBR outperforms baselines including translational-distance-based, GNN-based, and rule-based LP models.


Background: Mandibular fracture osteosynthesis comes with mechanical and thermal assaults to surrounding tissues resulting in the sequelae of pain, trismus, and oedema. Dexamethasone is known to reduce these sequelae; pain, swelling and trismus, with varying outcomes, and the lack of a standardized regimen for its optimal effect in maxillofacial surgery remains a cause of concern to researchers.
Objective: To compare two dexamethasone intervention time points in reducing post-operative sequelae of mandibular fracture osteosynthesis
Methods: A total of 102 subjects with mandibular body fractures in the age bracket of 20-60 years were recruited into the study and divided into preoperative, intraoperative, and control groups. 4mg of dexamethasone was injected via the submucosal route into the intact mucogingival area below the fracture line, one hour before making the incision in the preoperative group, at the time of the incision for the intraoperative group, and injection of the same volume of 0.9% normal saline preoperatively for the control group. Following osteosynthesis, postoperative sequelae, and complications were assessed on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7.
Results: There was a reduction in pain, swelling, and trismus in both test groups compared to the control with a significant reduction observed in the intraoperative group.
Conclusion: Our results showed that the administration of 4mg submucous dexamethasone reduces postoperative sequelae after mandibular fracture osteosynthesis with the intraoperative administration resulting in a significant reduction in postoperative pain.


Object detection networks have reached an impressive performance level, yet a lack of suitable data in specific applications often limits it in practice. Typically, additional data sources are utilized to support the training task. In these, however, domain gaps between different data sources pose a challenge in deep learning. GAN-based image-to-image style-transfer is commonly applied to shrink the domain gap, but is unstable and decoupled from the object detection task. We propose AWADA, an Attention-Weighted Adversarial Domain Adaptation framework for creating a feedback loop between style-transformation and detection task. By con-structing foreground object attention maps from object detector proposals, we focus the transformation on foreground object regions and stabilize style-transfer training. In extensive experiments and ablation studies, we show that AWADA reaches state-of-the-art unsupervised domain adaptation object detection performance in the commonly used benchmarks for tasks such as synthetic-to-real, adverse weather and cross-camera adaptation.


Program is based on the mathematical model, which represents a special case of solving of basic Macsvell's simultaneous equations and describes electromagnetic processes per the solving of stationary magnetic fields. The program of the solving of the magnetic fields is developed in an integrated environment, which is called MatLab and has friendly user interface with an ability of graphical performance of three-dimensional geometry and volumetric allocation of the magnetic field characteristics in the investigation area.


We studied the effects, at 10 and 30 min, of a single dose (10 mg kg−1) of lead chloride, administered by the intraperitoneal route, on the activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione transferase (GSH‐T) and on the concentrations of total and non‐protein thiols in substantia nigra compacta (SNCO) and substantia nigra reticulata (SNRE), caudate putamen (CAU) and cerebral cortex (CC) from adult male rats in comparison with the effects of this metal at 24 and 72 h. The main immediate effects of lead consisted of decreased GSH‐T activity and total and non‐protein thiol concentrations in CAU and CC 10 min after administration. These effects were reversed after 30 min but with increased GSH‐T activity in SNCO and AChE activity in SNRE along with diminished concentration of homogenate proteins in SNRE, CAU and CC. The GSH‐T activity again was increased in SNCO but the AChE activity was decreased in CC 24 h after Pb administration; total and non‐protein thiol concentrations were diminished but homogenate protein concentration was augmented in all areas. Finally, 72 h after Pb administration, AChE and GSH‐T activities were decreased in CAU and CC, accompanied by an increased concentration of precipitate and supernatant proteins; supernatant protein concentration also was augmented in SNCO and SNRE; here, again, the concentrations of total and non‐protein thiols were diminished and the homogenate protein concentration was augmented in all areas. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We have evaluated the perpendicular giant magnetoimpedance effect (GMI) in both NiFe and NiFe/Cu/NiFe films with meander geometry in the >1 MHz high-frequency range. With the magnetic field, the perpendicular GMI effect shows an intense GMI peak value at a certain field. This effect is comparable to the longitudinal GMI effect in both profile and peak value amplitude. The experimental results correspond well with the predictions of a single-domain rotational magnetization model. These findings demonstrate that the deflection of the anisotropy to a perpendicular direction plays an important role in the perpendicular GMI effect.


A photovoltaic system can be subject to various faults and anomalies during its operation, leading to a drop in performance. Allowing fine diagnosis, detection and localisation of faults in a Photovoltaic (PV) installation reduces maintenance costs and above all increases productivity. In what follows, we focus specifically on the detection and localisation of faults on the AC side of the PV system. For this purpose, the choice was made to analyse the power generated by the PV in the frequency domain for the various operating modes under consideration. Based on the spectral analysis of the three phases of the generated currents, faults characteristic frequencies are highlighted in the power spectral density of the first principal component. The diagnosis method gives a good basis for a non intrusive condition monitoring tool for PV system.


We examine various issues related to demonstrating real-time channel adaptive video communications for UAVs using the latest-generation H.264 video compression technology. These issues include among others: real-time channel estimation techniques, real-time data rate adaptation techniques in H.264/AVC, latency in encoding, current encoding speeds, transcoding, and scalable video developments in H.264, all as essential steps along the way. These demonstrations will be conducted in a communication laboratory and a limited operational testing environment.


The demand for premium beef continues to increase along with changes in the lifestyle of upper middle class, increasing tourists and expatriates from abroad. Local cattle usually cannot produce premium beef, but aging can improve the quality of meat. This study aimed to characterize the physical quality (pH, cooking loss, water holding capacity, and tenderness) of bali beef with different aging times. This study used three types of muscles, which is Longissimus dorsi, Gluteus medius, and Semitendinosus from bali beef aged ± 3 years and body weight of ± 350 kg. Samples were aged at cold temperatures for 1, 21, and 42 days. A completely randomized design with a 3x3x4 factorial was used in this study. Least Square Means test was applied if the data obtained is significantly different. The results showed that the three types of muscle produced relatively the same physical properties, except for cooking loss. The Longissimus dorsi and Semitendinosus muscles were aged for 21 days to show the best results ofmeat tenderness.


The construction industry is undergoing fundamental transformation due to economic, social, and environmental development. Highlights of emerging trends include the prevalence of green building practices and a wide adoption of new information technology (IT) such as building information modeling (BIM). The paradigm shift demands a higher level of competencies in sustainability and BIM, which generates a profound impact on college education in design and construction related fields. This study explores the effective use of collaborative project-based learning to enhance students' understanding of sustainability and BIM implementation in facilitating green building design. In the fall of 2014, the faculty in the Construction Management (CM) program at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) closely examined two existing courses (CM-132 and CM-177) through a joint course project. CM-132 encapsulates BIM principles, modeling skills, and implementation of BIM to facilitate high performance building design and construction. CM-177 introduces green building design guidelines, rating systems, and common practices. Students from the two classes made up project teams to co-develop Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) strategies and conduct performance analysis that is essential for accomplishing LEED certification with BIM for a project on campus. The collaborative project-based learning is responsive to the real world scenario where green building design and BIM are often implemented through an integrative process. Both direct and indirect measures were used to assess the effectiveness of the proposed collaborative project-based pedagogy on selected core student learning outcomes (SLOs). Rubrics were developed for each measure. This paper discusses the findings, lessons learned from this study, and provides insights into future improvements.


Background Much is understood about cervical lesions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) whereas the prevalence of lumbar lesions in RA has not been studied in detail. Objectives The present study assessed lumbar lesions in patients with RA and evaluates related factors. Methods This study included 262 (216 women and 46 men) patients who fulfilled the revised criteria of the American College of Rheumatology. The background of RA was assessed based on age, duration of disease, low back pain assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS), DAS-28 ESR, and RA stage and class determined based on by Steinbrocker's criteria. We examined the prevalence of lumbar lesions comprising degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS), lumbar spondylolisthesis (LS) and vertebral fractures (VF) on plain X-rays and analyzed correlations with background factors. Results The background of RA was as follows: age, 62.7±10.6 years; duration of disease, 14.5±11.8 years; low back pain assessed by VAS, 29.3±27.7 mm; DAS-28 ESR, 3.6±1.4. According to Steinbrocker's criteria, the RA stages I, II, III and IV comprised 48, 62, 99 and 53 patients, respectively and 94, 127, 38 and 3 patientshad class 1, 2, 3 and 4 disease,respectively.The prevalence of lumbar lesions was 56.9% (DLS, LS and VF, 35.9%, 31.7% and 16.4% respectively). Each of RA class, DAS-ESR and VAS were significantly higher in the patients with, than without lumbar lesions (P=0.002, P=0.04, P<0.001, respectively). Conclusions The reported prevalence of DLS, LS and VF among elderly Japanese is 17.4%, 8.9%, and 17.8% respectively1). Therefore, the prevalence of DLS and LS was considered to be higher in this study population. Erosion of endplate and/or facet joints might be the cause of the high prevalence of lumbar lesions. Patients with lumbar lesions had a significantly higher RA class and DAS-ESR, implying that the activity of RA might affect the incidence of lumbar lesions. Whether highly active RA or lumbar lesions cause low back pain remains unclear, but the higher prevalence of lumbar lesions in patients with RA also caused low back pain and reduced their quality of life (QOL).The class of RA, DAS-ESR and VAS were significantly higher in patients with lumbar lesions, and the prevalence of lesions was higher in patients with RA. References K Horikawa, Y Kasai, T Yamakawa, A Sudo, A Uchida. Prevalence of osteoarthritis, osteoporotic vertebral fractures, and spondylolisthesis among the elderly in a Japanese village. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery 2006;14(1):9-12. Disclosure of Interest H. Yasuda: None Declared, A. Suzuki: None Declared, T. Koike Grant/Research support from: Takeda Pharmaceutical,Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Eisai, Abbott Japan, Teijin Pharma, Banyu Pharmaceutical and Ono Pharmaceutical, H. Terai: None Declared, A. Matsumura: None Declared, H. Toyoda: None Declared, M. Tada: None Declared, S. Dohzono: None Declared, Y. Sugioka: None Declared, T. Okano: None Declared, K. Yamada: None Declared, S. Takahashi: None Declared, K. Tsukiyama: None Declared, Y. Shinohara: None Declared, A. Kamiyama: None Declared, H. Nakamura Grant/Research support from: Chugai Pharmaceutical, Astellas, Speakers Bureau: Ono


Aalto University, P.O. Box 11000, FI-00076 Aalto www.aalto.fi Author Siina Pamilo Name of the doctoral dissertation New approaches to statistical analysis of fMRI data Publisher School of Science Unit Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering Series Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS 200/2015 Field of research Biomedical engineering and biophysics Manuscript submitted 15 September 2015 Date of the defence 4 December 2015 Permission to publish granted (date) 4 November 2015 Language English Monograph Article dissertation (summary + original articles) Abstract Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) enables recording of changes in blood oxygenation level and thereby provides insight into human brain function. The collected fMRI data have to be analyzed statistically, and group analysis is crucial for generalization of the results. The selection of the statistical test depends on properties of the data, as well as on the research question. Since the brain-activity-related fMRI signal is small compared with noise in the data, removing various kinds of artifacts enables more effective and reliable detection of the true stimulus-related activations. To find out how the human brain works in everyday-life situations, fMRI experiments have started to move from traditional, highly controlled setups to using more naturalistic stimuli and tasks, such as viewing movies. Such rich and continuous stimuli bring challenges to data analysis, and call for data-driven approaches such as independent component analysis (ICA). In contrast to parametric statistical tests (e.g. the t-test) commonly used in fMRI analysis, nonparametric methods make only minimal assumptions about the data and may thereby provide more robust results. However, the widely-used nonparametric permutation test is computationally heavy. This thesis introduces SumLog, a new sensitive and computationally efficient nonparametric method for group-fMRI analysis. Some artifacts such as linear drifts are easy to remove from the data by e.g. filtering, whereas physiological noise is more difficult to eliminate. This thesis thus introduces a new maxCorr method that allows extraction from group-fMRI data subject-specific components that are connected to respiration, heartbeat, and movement. In contrast to many existing methods, maxCorr does not need any reference signals or information about the stimulus, and it is thereby well-suited for cleaning data collected during naturalistic stimulation. Data-driven methods such as ICA are widely used for analyzing fMRI data from naturalistic experiments. ICA can unravel functional brain networks but both the spatial patterns and time courses of the networks depend on the number of the estimated components. In this thesis, group-ICA was applied at four dimensionalities to fMRI data collected during movie viewing. The analysis implied subdivision of three cortical networks into functionally feasible subnetworks. This thesis contributes to more effective and reliable statistical analysis of fMRI data from conventional and naturalistic experiments. It also adds to the understanding of human brain function in naturalistic conditions.Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) enables recording of changes in blood oxygenation level and thereby provides insight into human brain function. The collected fMRI data have to be analyzed statistically, and group analysis is crucial for generalization of the results. The selection of the statistical test depends on properties of the data, as well as on the research question. Since the brain-activity-related fMRI signal is small compared with noise in the data, removing various kinds of artifacts enables more effective and reliable detection of the true stimulus-related activations. To find out how the human brain works in everyday-life situations, fMRI experiments have started to move from traditional, highly controlled setups to using more naturalistic stimuli and tasks, such as viewing movies. Such rich and continuous stimuli bring challenges to data analysis, and call for data-driven approaches such as independent component analysis (ICA). In contrast to parametric statistical tests (e.g. the t-test) commonly used in fMRI analysis, nonparametric methods make only minimal assumptions about the data and may thereby provide more robust results. However, the widely-used nonparametric permutation test is computationally heavy. This thesis introduces SumLog, a new sensitive and computationally efficient nonparametric method for group-fMRI analysis. Some artifacts such as linear drifts are easy to remove from the data by e.g. filtering, whereas physiological noise is more difficult to eliminate. This thesis thus introduces a new maxCorr method that allows extraction from group-fMRI data subject-specific components that are connected to respiration, heartbeat, and movement. In contrast to many existing methods, maxCorr does not need any reference signals or information about the stimulus, and it is thereby well-suited for cleaning data collected during naturalistic stimulation. Data-driven methods such as ICA are widely used for analyzing fMRI data from naturalistic experiments. ICA can unravel functional brain networks but both the spatial patterns and time courses of the networks depend on the number of the estimated components. In this thesis, group-ICA was applied at four dimensionalities to fMRI data collected during movie viewing. The analysis implied subdivision of three cortical networks into functionally feasible subnetworks. This thesis contributes to more effective and reliable statistical analysis of fMRI data from conventional and naturalistic experiments. It also adds to the understanding of human brain function in naturalistic conditions.


Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 remains as the most prominent Pandemic disease since it spreads with a distinct composition with considerable intensity all over the world. Market psychology refers to studying the individuals, groups, organizations and processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs. Herein, identify the hidden antecedents on consumer behavior during a Pandemic is worthwhile, since the market psychology directly influences on how consumer behaves with the "fear of Pandemic". Within this contrary, the consumer stockpiling in the face of the COVID-19 Pandemic can be viewed as unconventional inventory accumulation, mainly meant to minimize a perceived threat of loss or fear of going without. The main objective of this paper to systemize and organize the contemporary knowledge on stockpiling behavior during a Pandemic. Herein, firstly the methodology is extensively discussed, secondly, the analysis and discussion section is presented, with, a) citation analysis which was performed to evaluate the emerging research studies of stockpiling behavior and, b) comprehensive analytical models within the literature. Research articles were selected from the well reputed research data bases, including Web of Science, JStore and Google Scholar, and total of 60 research papers were used for the analysis, whereas a limited number of studies available by catering to areas of "stockpiling behavior" and "Pandemic/disasters. Analysis was two folds, whereas (a) Citation Analysis conducted with themes and (b) identified the comprehensive analytical models. Citation analysis discovered five main themes, namely: (1) Post-Switch Stockpiling, (2) Brand Switching and Stockpiling Behaviour. (3) Social Media and stockpiling behavior, (4) Predictors of Stockpiling Behaviour and (5) Behaviour in Pandemic situations. Further , Within the analytical models proposed, the model by Ling & Ho (2020) have been identified to test empirically the hidden patterns, panic-buying behavior and social context of the consumer behavior deeply. Authors suggest to align the model to fill the empirical gap within the consumer behavior research context.


The prediction of current scientific impact of papers and authors has been extensively studied to help researchers find valuable papers and recent research directions, also help policymakers make recruitment decisions or funding allocation. However, how to accurately evaluate the future impact of them, especially for new papers and young researchers, is the focus of scientific impact prediction research, and is less explored. Existing graph-based methods heavily depend on the global structure information of heterogeneous academic network and ignore the local structure information and text information , which may provide important clues to identify influential papers and authors with novel perspective. In this paper, we propose a hybrid model called ESMR to predict the future influence of papers and authors by mainly exploiting these information mentioned above. Specifically, we first put forward a novel network embedding-based model, which can capture not only the local structure information, but also the text information of papers into a unified embedding representation. Then, the future impact of papers and authors is mutually ranked by integrating the learned embedding representations into a multivariate random-walk model. Empirical results on two real datasets demonstrate that the proposed method significantly outperforms the existing state-of-the-art ranking methods.


Chick poisoning induced by oral administration of toxic fish tissues or extracts gave rise to internal hypersalivation, decrease in weight and acute motor ataxia. Detoxification was low and repeated administration therefore led to toxin accumulation. Response of the chicken to liver feeding was roughly quantitative; so liver, which is the most potential toxic tissue, may be used for a preventive screening test in ciguatera-endemic areas.


Endoscopy has become an essential part of the practice of gastroenterology. Techniques exploiting previously unused properties of light have demonstrated the potential to enhance the ability to make clinical diagnoses without removing tissue as has been standard practice for decades. The term used for many of these techniques is "optical biopsy" and, although not yet widely available, enthusiasm for such techniques has grown as has research in their potential clinical utility.


Microbicide gels are topical products that have recently been developed to combat sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. The extent of gel coverage, thickness, and structure are crucial factors in gel effectiveness. It is necessary to be able to monitor gel distribution and behavior under various circumstances, such as coatis, and over an extended time scale in vivo. We have developed a multiplexed, Fourier-domain low coherence interferometry (LCI) system as a practical method of measuring microbicide gel distribution, with precision and accuracy comparable to currently used fluorometric techniques techniques. The multiplexed system achieved a broad scanning area without the need for a mechanical scanning device, typical of OCT systems, by utilizing six parallel channels with simultaneous data collection. We now propose an imaging module which will allow the integration of the multiplexed LCI system into the current fluorescence system in conjunction with an endoscope. The LCI imaging module will meet several key criteria in order to be compatible with the current system. The fluorescent system features a 4-mm diameter rigid endsoscope enclosed in a 27-mm diameter polycarbonate tube, with a water immersion tip. Therefore, the LCI module must be low-profile as well as water-resistant to fit inside the current design. It also must fulfill its primary function of delivering light from each of the six channels to the gel and collecting backscattered light. The performance of the imaging module will be characterized by scanning a calibration socket which contains grooves of known depths, and comparing these measurements to the fluorometric results.


Fertilization is a process that is influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and use of biotechnologies can both enhance and decrease the rates found in the field. Evaluation of semen sample can contribute to maximizing results of pregnancy, however, practices developed for analysis in professional practice fertilizer underestimate the potential of sperm cells, necessitating the use of methods and techniques that more reliably investigate the fertilizing ability of sperm cell, such as objective assessment of motility, fluorescent techniques to identify preserved membranes and even more accurate tests such as transmission electron microscopy. Therefore, this review aims to clarify what methods and techniques have been developed and used in the analysis of spermatozoa of domestic animals.


This guidebook is a knowledge product from the Clean Energy Investment Accelerator (CEIA), an innovative public-private partnership initiative that addresses barriers to scaling the deployment of clean energy solutions for commercial and industrial consumers in emerging markets. CEIA explores solutions for procuring renewable energy by helping purchasers overcome clean energy barriers, strengthening the local policy enabling environment, and unlocking a pipeline of private sector clean energy projects. This guidebook provides an overview of the renewable energy procurement options available to commercial and industrial buyers in Colombia, underlying policies and regulations, key considerations related to each option, and steps needed to move forward with each option.


UNLABELLED
The Medizinischer Dienst der Krankenversicherung (MDK) is a non-profit medical consulting organisation serving the German Healthcare Insurance System. Despite its uniform commission throughout Germany, organisation and structure differ considerably between Provincial States which is reflected by differing results. A common nationwide system of key figures and indicators aims at analysing results and learning from one another.

AIM
Development of an audit concept for analysing key figures and indicators within the MDK aiming at quality improvement.

METHODS
Development of a system of key figures and indicators covering five spheres (products, staff, costs, data analysis, structure). Analysis by means of audits carried out across provincial state borders in five steps (audit manual, training of auditors, visitation, audit report, repetition audit).

RESULTS
The system of key figures and indicators assures relevant and comparable data. Audit manual, training of auditors, visitation, and audit report meet the needs of all people and institutions involved. Preparation of auditors as well as openness, and flow of information within audited organisations offer areas for improvement. There is as yet no assessment of the cost-benefit ratio of audits.

CONCLUSION
The concept presented in this article consists of two parts: A system of key figures and indicators as well as a concept for audits. The concept is suitable for a) generating and analysing relevant key figures and indicators for each MDK, and b) providing information for benchmarking between different MDK. Further development of the concept to a comprehensive management concept is necessary.


Carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP) is generated through matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-dependent type I collagen digestion, and has been widely utilized as a biomarker for bone turnover. The fact that atherosclerotic lesions are rich in both type I collagen and MMP-producing macrophages led to the hypothesis that serum ICTP concentrations may serve as a non-invasive clinical biomarker for atherosclerosis. Therefore, the association of serum ICTP concentrations with the maximum intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid arteries, a surrogate index of systemic atherosclerosis, or brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in patients with atherosclerotic risk factors was evaluated. A total of 52 male and 65 female (mean age: 62.8 yrs) patients without renal failure, malignancies or bone diseases known to affect serum ICTP concentrations were recruited. Patients with max IMTs ≥1.1 mm showed significantly higher serum ICTP concentrations compared with patients with max IMTs <1.1 mm (3.33 ± 0.97 vs 2.82 ± 0.65 ng/mL, p<0.05). Serum ICTP concentration was also positively correlated with max IMT (p<0.001) or baPWV values (p<0.05). Multivariate analyses also revealed that serum ICTP concentrations were correlated with max IMT (p<0.001; 95% CI 0.200 to 0.454). These results suggest that serum ICTP concentrations can be used as a non-invasive biomarker for systemic atherosclerosis.


ABSTRACT This study describes the implementation of a self-guiding mobile learning tool designed to support youths' engagement with the natural world as they explored the flora and fauna along one nature trail at an environmental center. Using qualitative video-based data collection and analysis techniques, we conducted two design-based research study iterations that documented interactions between technology, learners, and nature. Children (N = 83) between the ages of 8 and 11 used an iPad-based e-Trailguide designed for a nature trail at a summer camp. Analyses focused on three types of engagement between the learners and the natural world that were facilitated by the e-Trailguide, which we refer to as technology-mediated engagement with nature: (a) observation, (b) pointing, and (c) tactile investigation. Alongside the development of this framework for technology–child–nature interactions, our findings also include the emergence of a learning pattern with regard to technology-mediated engagement with nature: a specific order to the way that children engaged with nature with observations first, pointing second, and tactile investigations third. We also found increased engagement with nature among the children during the second iteration of the study when they used an interactive data collection tool embedded within the e-Trailguide. Design considerations for the future implementation of e-Trailguides in outdoor settings include the incorporation of textual prompts and questions to facilitate observation, development of joint observational activities to encourage collaborative learning, and articulated directions to promote tactile investigations of natural objects.


Glucosinolates are defensive secondary compounds that display large structural diversity in Arabidopsis thaliana and related plants. Much attention has been paid to variation in the biosynthesis of Met-derived aliphatic glucosinolates and its ecological consequences, but little is known about the genes that cause qualitative and quantitative differences in Trp-derived indole glucosinolates. We use a combination of quantitative trait locus (QTL) fine-mapping and microarray-based transcript profiling to identify CYP81F2 (At5g57220), encoding a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, as the gene underlying Indole Glucosinolate Modifier1 (IGM1), a metabolic QTL for the accumulation of two modified indole glucosinolates, 4-hydroxy-indole-3-yl-methyl and 4-methoxy-indole-3-yl-methyl glucosinolate. We verify CYP81F2 function with two SALK T-DNA insertion lines and show that CYP81F2 catalyzes the conversion of indole-3-yl-methyl to 4-hydroxy-indole-3-yl-methyl glucosinolate. We further show that the IGM1 QTL is largely caused by differences in CYP81F2 expression, which results from a combination of cis- and trans-acting expression QTL different from known regulators of indole glucosinolate biosynthesis. Finally, we elucidate a potential function of CYP81F2 in plant–insect interactions and find that CYP81F2 contributes to defense against the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) but not to resistance against herbivory by larvae from four lepidopteran species.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the positive predictive value (PPV) of a single random abnormal urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) compared with repeat test results in patients with type 2 diabetes to diagnose chronic kidney disease (CKD).

DESIGN
Retrospective, longitudinal secondary data analysis using Calgary Laboratory Services data.

SETTING
Calgary, Alta.

PARTICIPANTS
Patients aged 21 and older with a new diagnosis of diabetes in the study period from January 2008 to December 2015 and with a first abnormal urine ACR followed by another ACR test completed within 120 days.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The PPV of an abnormal urine ACR (2 to 20 mg/mmol) to diagnose CKD was calculated. A test result was considered a true positive if a subsequent positive test result (≥ 2 mg/mmol) was identified within 120 days of the first positive test result and a false positive if 2 subsequent negative test results were identified within the same time period. The relationship between the first and second urine ACR values to assess the probability of the second urine ACR being abnormal (≥ 2 mg/mmol) based on the values of the first abnormal urine ACR was also explored.

RESULTS
The PPV of the first abnormal urine ACR between 2 and 20 mg/mmol to diagnose CKD was calculated at 96.80% (95% CI 95.37% to 98.21%). Additionally, there was increased predictive probability of the second urine ACR being abnormal at higher values of the first urine ACR (2 to 20 mg/mmol). The data were further analyzed to exclude test results with a new or changed prescription of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker medications around the time of the first urine ACR test to focus results on screening and not treatment response. With these exclusions, the PPV for first urine ACR between 2 and 20 mg/mmol to diagnose CKD was calculated as 96.23% (95% CI 94.13% to 98.32%).

CONCLUSION
The first random abnormal urine ACR has a good PPV for the diagnosis of CKD in patients with type 2 diabetes, so multiple random urine ACR tests might not be necessary to diagnose patients with type 2 diabetes as having persistent microalbuminuria and CKD. A simpler diagnostic model for diagnosing renal disease might improve patient compliance, efficiency of testing, and implementation of health interventions. Reduced testing would also be expected to result in reduced cost from a health care expenditure perspective.


【In order to develop non-heated STAl(super thermal resistant Aluminum alloy) for ampacity gain conductor, the systematic research was carried out. Especailly, the effect of a very small amount of Zr, Sc element in EC grade Al ingot on mechanical and electrical properties was our priority. As a result, it was found that the strength and recrystallization temperature of designed alloy was gradually increased with Zr, Sc addition up to 0.3 wt.%. However, the electric conductivity showed no drastic change. The tensile strength and recrystalliztion temperature, $17.75{\sim}20.05\;kgf/mm^2$ and $420{\sim}520\;^{\circ}C$ , was obtained at 0.3 wt.% Zr, Sc addition, respectively. Particles of the $Al_3Zr$ and $Al_3Sc$ phase affected the ambient and elevated-temperature strength of the alloys.】


Chronic infection with hepatitis B or C viruses is a common underlying condition in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. We studied serum and liver tissue from a cohort of Alaska natives with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for evidence of hepatitis B, C and G viral infection using conventional serological tests as well as the sensitive polymerase chain reaction. Evidence of HBV infection was found in 25 and possible HCV infection in two cases. Among the remaining 11 patients, four had a history of recent or remote alcoholism while seven had no recognizable risk factors for HCC. Only one was seropositive for HGV RNA and that was an individual with a history of alcoholism. Non-tumorous liver tissue was available for study in six of these seven cases. Histological features of chronic hepatitis were present in five. Thus, at least five of 38 (13%) Alaska natives with HCC appeared to have chronic hepatitis not related to HBV or HCV infection, suggesting the possibility of some form of previously unrecognized chronic liver disease predisposing to HCC.


Deviated belt will cause great harm, which will not only reduce its service life, but also will lead to the machine damage and personal casualty. This paper analyzes the reasons for belt deviation and establishes the mechanical model of a conveyor belt. The theoretical analysis and numerical simulation are adopted in this article to analyze and research the speed when the belt is deviated, obtain the relation between the transversal movement speed of belt and front offset angle of a idler, idler rotation speed and belt speed, and provide the deviation correction and prevention of belt conveyor with theoretical guidance.


Given the widespread smallholder impulse to engage in commodity booms in Southeast Asia and the potential for this engagement to offer a more inclusive development pathway than large-scale plantation production, we examine three issues: What are the agro-economic factors favouring or obstructing smallholder modes of commodity production relative to large-scale production entities? What are the incentives for agribusiness firms to contribute to smallholder commodity production through roles other than direct farm management? Can smallholder commodity production be broadly inclusive in the face of tendencies towards agrarian differentiation and the market imperatives of agribusiness firms? We present a preliminary exploration of these questions through localised case studies of smallholder engagement with four commodity sectors – oil palm, rubber, cassava, and teak.


This paper attempts to isolate the conditions that give rise to loss leader pricing. I show that for sufficiently low distance between firms, the advertised good is priced below cost irrespective of whether firms advertise the same or different products. Instead, if products are sufficiently differentiated, loss leader pricing may result only if firms advertise the low reservation value product, otherwise the advertised good is a low margin leader. Thus, whether the advertised good is a loss leader or a low margin leader is primarily a function of the extent of differentiation between competing firms.


In response to climbing opioid misuse and overdoses, states passed several types of programs that target the supply side of the prescription opioid market, including Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) which track patient prescription histories, mandates that doctors use the programs, "Pill Mill Bills" that target over-prescribing offices, and abuse-deterrent versions of prescription opioids. This paper studies the effects of these policies on opioid-related business entry and exit.

I use information on counts of establishments across the US, and examine how the policies affect rehabilitation facilities, doctors' offices and clinics, and pharmacies. I find that Pill Mill Bills reduce the number of establishments in a widely-defined category which includes pain management clinics. States that implement the Pill Mill Bills notice a statistically significant 10.5% reduction in the rate of clinics per capita in this category, equal to 23.4 fewer establishments in the average state. The Pill Mill Bills have the potential to reduce the number of pharmacies, but this result is only statistically significant within counties that receive a high concentration of opioids. "Must Access" mandates are associated with a non-significant 1.5-2.5% rise in the rate of residential rehabilitation establishments. There is also weak evidence that pain clinics enter states when PDMPs are passed. There is not evidence that the policies affect inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation clinics or doctors' offices. While the effect of opioid policies on patient and physician behavior has been well-investigated, this paper provides evidence that policies have effects on the business landscape of opioid-related firms.


Vertically random-layered three-dimensional ternary nanohybrids were synthesized by combining graphene, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), and polyaniline (PANI) via a simple physical exfoliation process. During this process, PANI penetrates the interlayers of bulk MoS2 without the requirement for any additional chemical treatment, effectively dispersing MoS2 layers in the liquid phase. In addition, graphene, with several functional groups on its surface, and PANI convert the semiconducting trigonal prismatic phase of MoS2 to a metallic octahedrally coordinated phase, thereby enhancing the electrical conductivity. Moreover, the obtained nanohybrid has an open porous structure that facilitates electrolyte-mediated ion and charge transfer, which increases the effective surface area for electrochemical reactions and charge storage. The effect of different graphene, MoS2, and PANI contents on the electrical/electrochemical properties of the nanohybrids was investigated, and the optimal composition for the use of the nanohybrid as an electrode material was determined. Notably, the nanohybrid with a nominal graphene/MoS2/PANI weight ratio of 1 : 1 : 80 exhibited excellent electrochemical properties, exemplified by the prominent redox reaction, low charge transfer resistance, and high specific capacitance. Flexible all-solid-state capacitor cells employing the nanohybrid achieved a maximum capacitance of 162 F g−1, good flexibility, and good long-term cycling stability in two different electrolytes, i.e., acidic and neutral solution.


On Limited Nuclear War In the 21st Century By Jeffrey A. Larsen and Kerry M. Kartchner, editors Palo Alto, CA: Standford University Press, 2014 312 pages $27.95 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Consider for a moment that in 2015 a single nuclear weapon has just been detonated in anger. Where did the explosion occur? What actors were involved? What was the goal of such a limited use of nuclear arms? Was this a demonstradon shot, a limited counterforce strike, or perhaps an attack intended to terminate a conventional conflict? The twelve authors in the volume On Limited Nuclear War in the 21st Century, edited by Jeffrey A. Larsen and Kerry M. Kartchner, want policy-makers to consider and plan for such possibilities. With increasing tensions and opportunities for miscalculation in the South China Sea, a growing North Korean arsenal, unclear Iranian intentions surrounding nuclear weapons, and President Vladimir Putin posting video of himself practicing the launch of Russian strategic forces on YouTube, the authors are correct to argue that the likelihood of nuclear use may be increasing. In his foreword to the book, the late Nobel-prize winner Thomas Schelling praises this effort to encourage deeper thinking about nuclear use in the present day: "This book is the only one I know that can induce national leaders, or their advisers, to take seriously the prospect of minimizing mutual damage in a nuclear war." In twelve distinct and diverse chapters, the authors consider the theory, practice, and implications of limited nuclear war. In contrast to the all-out nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union feared during the Cold War, limited war is defined by the authors as nuclear conflict restrained along one or more of five possible dimensions: numbers of nuclear weapons used, scope of the area affected, the duration of use, political objectives of use, and the targeting plan. The volume is divided into three sections. The first, "Assessing the History of the Cold War," examines the history and theory of limited war from the Cold War to the present. Those seeking to examine the chapters focused especially on the concept of limited war should read Andrew Ross's comprehensive chapter on limited war theory in this section. The second section, "Managing the Risk of Nuclear War in the 21st Century," provides considerations for how limited nuclear war could occur today. Paul Bernstein summarizes the capabilities and interests of actors most likely to be involved in future nuclear war, while Thomas Mahnken provides five scenarios for potential future limited nuclear use. …


In this paper, we study the quantification, practice, and implications of structural data (e.g., social data, mobility traces) De-Anonymization (DA). First, we address several open problems in structural data DA by quantifying perfect and (1-ε)-perfect structural data DA}, where ε is the error tolerated by a DA scheme. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work on quantifying structural data DA under a general data model, which closes the gap between structural data DA practice and theory. Second, we conduct the first large-scale study on the de-anonymizability of 26 real world structural datasets, including Social Networks (SNs), Collaborations Networks, Communication Networks, Autonomous Systems, and Peer-to-Peer networks. We also quantitatively show the conditions for perfect and (1-ε)-perfect DA of the 26 datasets. Third, following our quantification, we design a practical and novel single-phase cold start Optimization based DA} (ODA) algorithm. Experimental analysis of ODA shows that about 77.7% - 83.3% of the users in Gowalla (.2M users and 1M edges) and 86.9% - 95.5% of the users in Google+ (4.7M users and 90.8M edges) are de-anonymizable in different scenarios, which implies optimization based DA is implementable and powerful in practice. Finally, we discuss the implications of our DA quantification and ODA and provide some general suggestions for future secure data publishing.


BACKGROUND
Survivors of childhood cancer often experience treatment-related chronic health conditions. Survivorship care improves survivors' physical and mental health, yet many are disengaged from care. Innovative models of care are necessary to overcome patient-reported barriers to accessing survivorship care and to maximize survivors' health.

METHODS
We piloted a novel survivorship program, called "Re-engage," a distance-delivered, nurse-led intervention aiming to engage, educate, and empower survivors not receiving any cancer-related care. Re-engage involves a nurse-led consultation delivered via telephone/online to establish survivors' medical history and needs. Participants completed questionnaires at baseline, 1 month postintervention, and 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS
A total of 27 survivors who had not accessed survivorship care in the last 2 years participated (median age, 31 years; interquartile range [IQR], 27-39 years); of which, 82% were at high-risk for treatment-related complications. Participation in Re-engage was high (75%) and there was no attrition once survivors enrolled. At 1 month postintervention, 92% of survivors reported that Re-engage was "beneficial," which all survivors reported at 6-month follow-up. Survivors' overall satisfaction with their care increased from 52% before Re-engage to 84% at 1 month postintervention. Survivors' mean self-efficacy scores remained similar from baseline to 1 month postintervention (b = -0.33, 95% CI, -1.31 to 0.65), but increased significantly from baseline to 6-month follow-up (b = 1.64, 95% CI, 0.28-3.00). At 6-month follow-up, 73% of survivors showed an increase in health-related self-efficacy compared with baseline.

CONCLUSIONS
Re-engage is a highly acceptable and feasible intervention and promotes health-related self-efficacy, which is integral to survivors being advocates for their own health. Further empirical work is needed to evaluate the long-term efficacy of Re-engage.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
ACTRN12618000194268.


The rapidly increasing prevalence of obesity is a phenomenon often referred to as the "obesity epidemic". Literature suggests social networks to be one of the most important dimension of people's social environment that may enable or constrain the adoption of health-promoting behaviors. Given that online social networks are becoming more important in people's daily lives, this research in progress incorporated a design science research methodology for designing a Health 2.0 Facebook application to investigate the relationship of online social networks and health-related behaviors in the context of obesity. Specifically, the application enables medical and healthcare practitioners to (1) understand the effect of obesity propagation in online social networks; (2) identify potential online intervention strategies to disseminate health-related information to the right group of people and (3) to offer services fostering positive health-related behaviours or to promote behaviour change advice.


The chemistry of P in the spodic (Bh) horizon of Florida Spodosols has generated considerable interest in recent years, particularly where water quality problems have been reported. Early studies suggested that the Bh horizon can function as a sorption sink for P moving through nonretentive sands. However, the conditions under which P can be retained in or released from the Bh horizon have not been adequately investigated. This study evaluated the P sorption and desorption properties of the Bh horizon from 16 Florida Spodosols. The samples exhibited P sorption capacities that were reflective of their citrate-dithionite-bicarbonate (CDB)-extractable Al contents. Mean Langmuir sorption maximum (S max ) values of 7.55, 11.08, and 17.49 mmol P kg -1 were obtained for low-, medium-, and high-Al soils, respectively. The CuCl 2 -extractable Al (organic matter bound) was the single most important chemical property contributing to P retention, accounting for >60% of the variability in P sorption. Though anaerobic incubation altered P sorption and release, the effect was generally small and inconsistent. Such treatment reduced P sorption by low-Al soils and slightly increased that of high-Al soils. The lack of response to anaerobic incubation was attributed to generally low levels of reducible Fe in the soils. The samples also exhibited varying degrees of P sorption-desorption hysteresis. Irreversibility was most pronounced for high-Al soils, where >70% of the added P remained sorbed after nine successive extractions. The relationships between Al contents and P sorption capacities should be useful in formulating site criteria for control and management of wastewater from dairy and other agricultural operations located on Florida Spodosols.


Background Despite adavantages of biological combo therapy over biological mono for RA treatement and the limited approval of biologics as monotherapy (etanercept, adalimumab, certolizumab, tocilizumab), real life registries data revealed that approximately one-third of patients taking biologic agents are using them as monotherapy. Objectives To assess the prevalence of bDMARDs use as monotherapy (bDMARDs-mono) in a cohort of RA patients treated with bDMARDs attending a tertiary rheumatological center.To characterize the clinical profile of these patients, and to investigate factors related to monotherapy. Methods All patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis attending our center and receiving bDMARDs up to 31th january 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic, and clinical characteristics of each patient were recorded: age, gender, disease duration, drugs history and clinical disease activity (DAS28) at last visit. Results 341 RA patients receiving bDMARDS were included. F 160, M 123, mean age 59.98 ±12.54, disease duration 178.69±101.81 months. 197 patients were taking bDMARD as first line bio-therapy, 144 had been previously treated with one or more bDMARDs. 52% (n=179) of patients were receving bDMARD-mono with a mean disease duration 187.4±125.1 month; 48% (n=162) were bDMARDs-combo, 65% of them with MTX; mean disease duration 168.9±42.4 m. Biologic agents used as mono or combo are shown in table 1. 32% of bDMARDs-mono had discontinued csDMARDs before starting biological therapy, 68% after an average 50,4 months after starting bDMARDs (p<0.001). The most common reasons for discontinuing csDMARDs were toxicity (55% of cases), with significant difference between those who stopped before and after starting bDMARDs (66% vs 48% respectively, p<0,02). 11% of patients discontinue csDMARDs because of nonspecific bad tolerance, 9% for inefficacy, 11% for others unspecified reasons. 25 patients (14%) on bDMARDs-mono stopped csDMARDs for clinical remission. Overall, 57% of RA patients were in clinical remission (DAS28 PCR <2.6) at the time of the inclusion in the study, without significant differece between the two groups (bDMARDs-mono vs combo). The use of bDMARDs-mono was more frequently observed in those patients with disease duration longer than 10 years (p<0,0001). Conclusions Biologic monotherapy for managing RA is widely used in our clinical practice especially in patients with long term disease. The proportion of patients (1/3) who start bDMARD-mono is quite similar to that reported in literature. On the other hand, most of patients arrive to bDMARDs-mono after starting biologic agent as the result of csDMARD witdrawal due to AE or intollerance to DMARDs and to a lesser extent because achieving good control of the disease since patient's preference is strongly oriented to csDMARD discontinuation rather than bDMARDs withdrawal or tapering. References Emery P, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2013:Dec:72 (12):1897–904. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Efficient utilization of various fuels is an important task in front of human beings. If we use these fuels efficiently then only we can extend the life of these resources. LPG is one of the most important cooking fuels in urban population. In different region of India LPG utilization trends are different. The aim of present work is to study the different trends of domestic LPG utilization in the Pune region. The first task is to conduct surveys in LPG using households to investigate trends in utilization of LPG across different families and second task consist analysis of dimensions of the pots used for different cooking cycles viz. rice making, boiling of milk and making of tea .


Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer affects approximately 50,000 Americans each year, requires chronic medical management with a combination of surgical resection and intravesical BCG instillations for treatment. While BCG improves recurrence-free survival in this population, there remains a significant unmet medical need for therapeutics in patients who have a particularly high risk of recurrence and/or progression to muscle-invasive disease. Vesigenurtacel-L is an allogeneic, cell based, vaccine engineered to secrete the heat shock protein, gp96-Ig, which facilitates cross-presentation of cell-derived antigens on MHC I to activate CD8+ T cell responses across MHC barriers. We recently reported that in patients treated with Vesigenurtacel-L in a Phase I clinical trial, a minimum of 15 antigens were shared between the vaccine and individual patient tumors. Although no patient received a complete course of maintenance BCG, 70% of patients remained recurrence free beyond 12 months. Baseline biopsies were collected from all patients, and serial biopsies for several patients when clinically indicated. Analysis of these tissues by RNA Sequencing revealed that recurring patient tumors expressed higher levels of B7-H4, GITR and KIR3 at baseline, while non-recurring patient tumors expressed an immune profile consistent with an interferon defense signature. In addition, patients with progressive elimination of residual disease in repeat biopsies showed increased levels of CD3, CD8, IL-23A and OX40. Deep sequencing of peripheral blood T cells and total tumor DNA for T cell receptors was performed at baseline and at several post-treatment time points. These data demonstrated polyclonal expansion of TCR clones that were either absent, or present at low frequencies at baseline in the peripheral blood. Remarkably, approximately 40% of these clones could also be found expanded within the tumor. These data correlate positively with the absolute increase in tumor infiltrating lymphocyte percentages observed by immunohistochemistry. ELISPOT assays were performed to demonstrate the specificity of expanded T cell clones toward shared tumor antigens, since the antigens in both the patients tumors and Vesigenurtacel-L were known. These data provide exciting clinical evidence of patient benefit derived from an allogeneic immunotherapy vaccine and compelling evidence for a vaccine therapy converting 'cold' tumor to (predominantly CD8+) TIL-rich tumors, with a corresponding analysis of the antigenic determinants of the response. Citation Format: Taylor H. Schreiber, George Fromm, Xin Xu, Eric Yusko, Brandon Early, Melissa Price. Vesigenurtacel-L stimulates tumor infiltration of unique polyclonal T cell clones in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1405.


Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a serious condition characterized with chronic organized thrombi that obstruct the pulmonary vessels, leading to pulmonary hypertension (PH) and ultimately right heart failure. Although CTEPH is the only form of PH that can be cured with surgical intervention, not all patients with CTEPH will be deemed operable. Some CTEPH patients still have a poor prognosis. Therefore, the determination of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of CTEPH is of great importance for the early intervention to improve prognosis of patients with CTEPH. Several markers related to multiple mechanisms of CTEPH have been recently identified as circulating diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in these patients. However, the existing literature review of biomarkers of CTEPH is relatively sparse. In this article, we review recent advances in circulating biomarkers of CTEPH and describe future applications of these biomarkers in the management of CTEPH.


Many distributed applications require 24/7/365 availability, and still need to be updated. We analyze how to update such applications on-the-fly. This a challenging task not only because performing the updates without closing the application is difficult, but also because updates may introduce potential version conflicts between various application components. We develop a framework (called DUCS) that facilitates dynamic updates of component-based distributed applications. DUCS supports adaptation of existing applications, dynamic component replacement, state transfer, and interface modifications by utilizing so-called interface adapters.


In hybrid gels with immobilized liquid crystal (LC) droplets, fast and unique optical texture variations are generated when distinct volatile organic compounds (VOCs) interact with the LC and disturb its molecular order. The optical texture variations can be observed under a polarized optical microscope or transduced into a signal representing the variations of light transmitted through the LC. We show how hybrid gels can accurately identify 11 distinct VOCs by using deep learning to analyze optical texture variations of individual droplets (0.93 average F1-score) and by using machine learning to analyze 1D optical signals from multiple droplets in hybrid gels (0.88 average F1-score).


Prati et al. question whether the associations of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are caused by prior blood transfusions, which seems unlikely because presumably blood transfusions would have been given for anemia, the one blood count deficiency that was not associated with hepatitis C. In fact, persons who reported receiving treatment (including transfusions) for anemia within the 3 months before the survey were no more likely to have HCV infection (1.3%) compared with those not receiving treatment (2.2%, P .22). Prati et al. also question if our findings were influenced by our choice of the anemia threshold. This concern seems unwarranted because the exact same method (i.e., the lowest 5th percentile) was used to select thresholds for neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia. In addition, the standard for anemia that they cite was primarily based on small population surveys conducted in the late 1950s, which we regard as less applicable than the true population distribution that was used.1-3 Likewise, although reduced blood counts are a well-recognized adverse effect of interferon, it is highly unlikely during the time that NHANES III was conducted that a substantial number of the community-based population was being treated with interferon alfa. We also appreciate the opportunity to reiterate that our data do not support the use of neutrophil and platelet counts as tests to screen for HCV infection, which should be detected by evaluation of exposures and testing of the blood of persons at risk by using an approved enzyme immunoassay for detection of hepatitis C–specific antibodies.4 However, when a complete blood count (or liver enzyme test) is performed and unexpected abnormalities are noted, HCV infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis because 1 in 5 participants in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with low platelet and neutrophil counts had HCV infection.


Cruise data sets, satellite remote sensing observations, and model data analyses are combined to highlight the existence of a coastal surface poleward flow in the southwest of Madagascar: the Southwest MAdagascar Coastal Current (SMACC). The SMACC is a relatively shallow (<300 m) and narrow (<100 km wide) warm and salty coastal surface current, which flows along the south western coast of Madagascar toward the south, opposite to the dominant winds. The warm water surface signature of the SMACC extends from 22°S (upstream) to 26.4°S (downstream). The SMACC exhibits a seasonal variability: more intense in summer and reduced in winter. The average volume transport of its core is about 1.3 Sv with a mean summer maximum of 2.1 Sv. It is forced by a strong cyclonic wind stress curl associated with the bending of the trade winds along the southern tip of Madagascar. The SMACC directly influences the coastal upwelling regions south of Madagascar. Its existence is likely to influence local fisheries and larval transport patterns, as well as the connectivity with the Agulhas Current, affecting the returning branch of the global overturning circulation.


A study was undertaken to utilize cotton wastes and sunflower stalks either alone or in combination with paddy straw (1:3, 1:1, 3:1, v/v) for sporophore production of milky mushroom, Calocybe indica. As single substrate, cotton wastes and sunflower stalks were not ideal for mushroom cultivation. However, the biological efficiency of the fungus could be improved when these were used in various combinations with paddy straw. There was also faster substrate colonization and primordial initiation and higher number of fruiting bodies. Cotton wastes + paddy straw (1:3) sustained the highest mushroom yield (73.2 % BE) which was statistically at par with paddy straw (71.3 % BE).


An international symposium emphasizing the clinical implications of basic ocular motor mechanisms was held in June of 1974 at the Wenner-Gren Center in Stockholm. The resultant text contains the scientific papers and clinical discussions presented, and preserves the symposium's stress on the symbiosis of basic and clinical research. It is divided into three main sections: peripheral mechanisms, central mechanisms, and free papers. The first section, on peripheral mechanisms, contains excellent papers on the structure and function of cells, muscle fibers, and motor units, in addition to studies of extraocular muscle forces in normal and abnormal ocular motor systems. In the central mechanisms section, the topics presented include the vestibulo-ocular reflex, plasticity, cerebellar influences, ocular motor control, and effects on vision. Both sections contain clinical discussions that relate the findings of the basic research to clinical observations. The contributions in the final section, free papers, cover a very wide range of


In the present study, we used morphometry as a proxy to study the microevolution of generalist Lamellodiscus (Monogenea, Diplectanidae) species, comprising gill parasites of sparid fish. We investigated 147 individuals, belonging to nine described species, regrouped in four morphotypes. Morphometric measurements were taken on sclerotized parts of the attachment organ. The formation of groups on the basis of the global morphometry within a host species, or between several host species, was assessed using both exploratory analyses (principal component analysis and clustering analysis) and statistical tests. We showed that: (1) for three out of four morphotypes, the global morphometry was significantly different according to host species used, and (2) the coexistence of two populations of Lamellodiscus elegans on Diplodus sargus could reflect an ongoing intra-host speciation event. We suggest that generalist Lamellodiscus are undergoing specialization on their different hosts, which may lead to speciation. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 99, 559–569.


In this work we present a subdomain partitioning strategy applied to an explicit high-resolution Euler solver. We describe the design of a portable parallel multi-domain code suitable for parallel environments. We present several implementations on a representative range of MIMD computers that include shared memory multiprocessors, distributed virtual shared memory computers, as well as networks of workstations. Computational results are given to illustrate the efficiency, the scalability, and the limitations of the different approaches. We discuss also the effect of the communication protocol on the optimal domain partitioning strategy for the distributed memory computers.


Bio ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS • Associate Professor University Medical Line, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS • Director of Outpatient Mental Health, VA Palo Alto HCS, (2008-2020) • Deputy Chief of Staff, MH, Social Work, and Homeless Services, VA Palo Alto HCS, (2020present) Research & Scholarship CURRENT RESEARCH AND SCHOLARLY INTERESTS My scholarly, clinical, and teaching activities apply interdisciplinary training in neuroscience/pharmacology and medicine/psychiatry to advance health and mental health care for psychiatric patients with disorders related to chronic and severe stress. As Director of Outpatient Mental Health for the VHA Palo Alto HCS, my work focuses on psychiatric disorders in military veterans. The goal is maximizing the use of evidence-based practices and reducing unnecessary medical burden of psychiatric treatments for stress-related disorders. I have conducted basic science research on the adverse effects of the stress hormone cortisol and applied research on the efficacy of medication treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Currently, we are conducting research on the efficacy of innovative treatment approaches for PTSD and developing electronic medical records software tools that foster the use of evidence-based treatments and continuous monitoring of clinical outcomes and adverse effects. Clinically, we are developing and implementing clinical programs that improve access to mental health care and foster evidenced-based care.


Inspiring and motivating students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education continues to be an important educational focus in the United States. Robotics programs are one strategy developed to accomplish this goal. This causal comparative study focused on investigating whether a causal relationship exists between student participation in after-school robotics programs at a Mountain State charter school and their mathematics scores on the Renaissance Learning STAR Math standardized test given at this school to assess mathematics skills and learning. Two research questions form the basis of the current study. The first question asked if there was a statistically significant change in STAR Math scores for students prior to and after participation in the charter school's robotics program. The scores of students who participate in the robotics program were compared to the scores of students who do not participate in the program.
The second question sought to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in changes between STAR Math pretest and posttest scores for students participating in a robotics program and STAR Math pretest and posttest scores for non-robotics participating students over a 2-year period of the robotics program. The student scores were matched for grade level, pretest scores, sex, and gifted designations. The study determined that although the STAR Math scores for students participating in the after-school robotics program increased following program participation, their increased scores were not significantly different from the increased scores of students who did not participate in the robotics program when the results were controlled for grade, sex, and gifted designations. Robotics program participation did not lead to higher STAR Math scores compared to scores of nonparticipating students.


OBJECTIVE
To examine physicians' decision making and its determinants about admission to intensive care.

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING
ICU physicians (n = 12) and internists (n = 12) working in a Swiss tertiary care hospital.

STUDY DESIGN
We conducted in-depth interviews.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS
Interviews were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
Admission decisions regarding seriously ill or elderly patients with comorbidities are complex. Nonmedical factors such as ICU beds availability, health care resources on the ward, information about patient preferences, and family behavior determine the decision. Code status and the quality of interaction between physicians are key determinants. The absence of code status or poor documentation of code status discussions makes decisions more difficult and laden emotionally, as physicians feel they are making a life-death decision. Mutual respect and collaborative decision making facilitate the decision. Tensions arise due to ICU physicians' postponing the decision because of lack of beds, ICU physicians' dismissive attitudes, perceived shortcomings in the other physician's completion of expected tasks, and preconceptions about the other physician.

CONCLUSIONS
Systematic documentation of code status, and fostering collaboration between ICU physicians and internists would facilitate ICU admission decisions in complex clinical situations.


The interactions involving the side chains of weakly polar aromatic amino acid residues, e.g., Phenylalanine (Phe), Tyrosine (Tyr) and Tryptophan (Trp) generally reside at the interior of proteins and help in the stabilization of globular protein structures. The aromatic electron cloud of the aromatic rings of these amino acids are delocalized on both sides of the planer rings, so that there is a small partial negative charge on the face and a small partial positive charge on the hydrogen atoms of the edge, which leads to the possibility of electrostatic interactions. These interaction play a vital role nanofiber based vaccine adjuvants, and cocaine vaccine development and increasing interest and structure based drug development. Apart from electrostatic forces, aromatic interactions also consist of van der Waals and hydrophobic forces. These weakly polar interactions are enthalpically comparable to a hydrogen bond. Protein engineering methods have revealed that introducing aromatic pairs and aromatic clusters increases the thermal stability of proteins and it has been demonstrated that the introduction of an additional aromatic interaction improved the thermophilicity and thermostability of the family of 11 xylanase. These weakly polar interactions also have a significant role in the stability of DNA. Different types of weakly polar interactions involving the aromatic side chains are discussed below.


The design and simulation of a wide angle, spectrally selective absorber/emitter metallic photonic crystal (MPhC) is presented. By using dielectric filled cavities, the angular, spectrally selective absorption/emission of the MPhC is dramatically enhanced over an air filled design by minimizing diffraction losses. Theoretical analysis is performed and verified via rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) based simulations. An efficiency comparison of the dielectric filled designs for solar thermophotovoltaic applications is performed for the absorber and emitter which yields a 7% and 15.7% efficiency improvement, respectively, compared to air filled designs. The converted power output density is also improved by 33.5%.


Objective To explore the mechanism of electroacupuncture stimulation of the hand-taiyin meridian in regulating the molecular network of rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury based on transcriptomics. Methods Male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group, and electroacupuncture (EA) group. Middle cerebral artery embolization/reperfusion injury (MCAO/R) was used to establish the model group and EA group. The sham operation group only performed sham operation without modeling and any intervention, and the model group was bound daily. The EA group received electroacupuncture to stimulate the acupoints of hand-taiyin meridian for 14 days. Then, neurological scores, pathomorphological observations, and Tunel staining were performed. Finally, the affected hippocampus of the rat was used for transcriptome sequencing and RT-PCR detection. Results After electroacupuncture intervention in rats, neurological function scores were improved, and neuronal apoptosis was reduced. The results of transcriptomics showed that a total of 1097 differentially expressed genes were obtained, of which 422 were upregulated and 675 were downregulated. The bioinformatics analysis showed that those differentially expressed genes were related to axon development, neuron projection development, neuron projection morphogenesis, plasma membrane cell projection morphogenesis, cell part morphogenesis, notch signaling pathway, long-term potentiation, MAPK signaling pathway, Hedgehog signaling pathway, and so on. The results of RT-PCR showed that Caspase 9 mRNA increased and BDNF, Grin2a, and PlexinD1 mRNA decreased after electroacupuncture intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusion Electroacupuncture intervention on hand-taiyin meridian may reduce neurological function scores, inhibit neuron apoptosis, and enhance neuronal repair neuroreparation in MCAO/R rats, which may be related to the regulation of genes such as Caspase 9, BDNF, Grin2a, and PlexinD1.


DEND syndrome is a very rare syndrome of permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus, with an incidence of < 1/1000,000. It is defined as a triad of developmental delay, epilepsy, and neonatal diabetes. We report the case of a 9-month infant girl who presented with the most severe form of neonatal diabetes mellitus spectrum along with developmental delay and epilepsy. Genetic mutation testing confirmed mutations in KCNJ11 gene encoding the Kir6.2 subunit of the K-ATPchannel, which are involved in insulin secretion. The use of oral sulfonylureas in treatment of such patients is showing promising results worldwide. The authors strongly recommend early referral and checking for genetic mutations in all patients of neonatal diabetes mellitus.


The removal of biofilm and mineralized deposits from the tooth surface are the fundamental aspects of periodontal therapy. Using antimicrobial agents to treat periodontitis without disruption of the biofilm ultimately results in treatment failures. It is difficult to maintain therapeutic concentrations at the target sites and target organisms may develop resistance to drugs. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a mechanism which destroys target cells by reactive oxygen species produced by photosensitizing compounds and light of an appropriate wavelength. The advantage of this new approach includes rapid bacterial elimination, minimal chance of resistance development and safety of adjacent host tissue and normal microflora. Thus, the available knowledge of photodynamic therapy should encourage a more clinically oriented application of this technique.


Aspergillus fumigatus is a fungal species causing diverse diseases in human. The use of azoles for treatments of A. fumigatus diseases has resulted in azole resistance. Azoles are also widely used in the environment for crop protection, which resulted in azole resistance. Resistance is primarily due to mutations in cyp51A, which encodes the target protein for azoles. Here we addressed the occurrence of azole resistance in soils from a vast part of Switzerland. We aimed to associate the use of azoles in the environment with the occurrence of azole resistance. We targeted sample sites from different agricultural environments as well as sites with no agricultural practice (natural sites, urban sites). Starting from 327 sites, 113 A. fumigatus isolates were recovered (2019-2021), among which 19 were azole-resistant (15 with TR34/L98H and 4 with TR46/Y121F/T289A resistance mutations in cyp51A). Our results show that azole resistance was not associated with a specific agricultural practice. Azoles could be chemically detected in investigated soils, however their presence was not associated with occurrence of azole-resistant isolates. Interestingly, genetic markers of resistance to other fungicides were detected but only in azole-resistant isolates, thus reinforcing the notion that A. fumigatus cross-resistance to fungicides has an environmental origin. In conclusion, this study reveals the spreading of azole resistance in A. fumigatus from the environment in Switzerland. The proximity of agricultural areas to urban centers may facilitate the transmission of resistant strains to at-risk population. Thus, vigilant surveillance is required to maintain effective treatment options for aspergillosis.


In this article I discuss an excerpt from a group discussion between five 15-year-old boys who, in the presence of an adult moderator, engaged in the act of 'slut bashing' while telling a minimal story about an incident of female promiscuity. The analysis proceeds microanalytically in a three-step procedure that details the positions taken by the young participants during the interaction. First, I analyze how the story characters are positioned in story time and story space. Next, I analyze how the interactants draw up their positions in relation to one another during the interaction. Finally, in the third step, I discuss how the first two levels are used to develop positions in relation to any preexisting normative discourses (master narratives). My observations focus on the role of narrative and interaction in the microgenetic construal of identity and self, and reveal how positioning becomes part of the identity construction of the five male adolescents.


An important area in the company is the operational field that ensures business operations to improve the company's operational performance over a certain period. The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual model for further research on the effect of superior management support and coffee introduction technology to improve company operational performance. Operational performance refers to the company's capability, which is indicated by the aspects of cost, production volume, fulfilment of demand, customer handling, process control and quality. A number of data will be required and collected in this study to test the existing hypothesis models. The data were collected using a questionnaire that was distributed directly to individual workers in the company with positive questions on a 6-point measurement scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Data processing will be carried out using the SEM-AMOS method. One of the results of operational performance is customer focus, which is the orientation of a series of services provided to customers to improve customer satisfaction. The mechanism for eliminating waste and creating added value for the company is process control and improvement at every stage of the process in the company. The results of this study present a conceptual model for further research with the aim of knowing the effect of superior management support, consumer focus, and process control, and coffee introduction technology on the operational performance of CCT companies in Timor-Leste.


This paper proposes an input power factor control strategy for a current-source drive with active front-end. The proposed strategy is realized without modification of the drive's pulsewidth modulation and speed control schemes through the collaborative use of two methods: a modulation index regulation method and a flux adjustment method. Specifically, the modulation index regulation method functions to directly control the dc-link current and voltage, and it can effectively correct a leading input power factor as long as the space vector modulation is used for the inverter. On the other hand, the flux adjustment method can improve the power factor when the power factor is lagging or when the selective harmonic elimination modulation is used for the inverter at high motor speeds. When implemented together, the two methods will complement each other's functionalities and improve the overall compensation performance. Experimental results are obtained from a 600-hp and an 1100-hp drive system.


The development objective of the Transport Connectivity and Asset Management Project for Sri Lanka is to strengthen the road development authority's capacity for asset management and improve the road service delivery on the selected corridor. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) all (cash) payments for acquisition of land will be at replacement value at current market prices for loss of land; (2) pay replacement cost for the affected portion based on the extent (volume) of the structure constructed without depreciation; (3) land acquisition and resettlement costs will be built into the overall project budget as an upfront cost; and (4) support to re-establish lost or damaged shelter and shop any other structure through cash and or, alternative site and or, building at replacement cost (which will build alternative residential housing sites with shops and basic amenities and services to resettle the affected households and commercial units.


Abstract Extracting information from large biological datasets is a challenging task, due to the large data size, high-dimensionality, noise, and errors in the data. Gene expression data contains information about which gene products have been formed by a cell, thus representing which genes have been read to activate a particular biological process. Understanding which of these gene products can be related to which processes can for example give insights about how diseases evolve and might give hints about how to fight them. The Next Generation RNA-sequencing method emerged over a decade ago and is nowadays state-of-the-art in the field of gene expression analyses. However, analyzing these large, complex datasets is still a challenging task. Many of the existing methods do not take into account the underlying structure of the data. In this paper, we present a new approach for RNA-sequencing data analysis based on dictionary learning. Dictionary learning is a sparsity enforcing method that has widely been used in many fields, such as image processing, pattern classification, signal denoising and more. We show how for RNA-sequencing data, the atoms in the dictionary matrix can be interpreted as modules of genes that either capture patterns specific to different types, or else represent modules that are reused across different scenarios. We evaluate our approach on four large datasets with samples from multiple types. A Gene Ontology term analysis, which is a standard tool indicated to help understanding the functions of genes, shows that the found gene-sets are in agreement with the biological context of the sample types. Further, we find that the sparse representations of samples using the dictionary can be used to identify type-specific differences.


Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry is used to characterize the variation of the turbocharger compressor inlet velocity field as a function of rotational speed, with an emphasis on surge. While the velocity magnitudes at choke or mild surge increased with rotational speed, the velocity profiles remained qualitatively similar. The variation in deep surge flow field with shaft speed, however, was more substantial. At 80 krpm, the overall flow field was comparable at different time instances (at different points on the surge cycle): the core flow near the duct center was always directed into the impeller, whereas reversed flow occupied an annular region near the periphery in nearly all time instances. However, at 140 krpm, while the negative flow rate (cross-sectional average flow is directed out of the inducer back into the inlet duct) portion of the surge cycle was still similar to the overall surge flow field at 80 krpm, over a substantial part of the positive flow rate (cross-sectional average flow is directed into the impeller) portion of the surge cycle, there was no sign of reversed flow within the visualization domain. As the rotational speed was increased, the surge loop (obtained by combining the particle image velocimetry (PIV) and pressure transducer data) extended over a wider portion of the compressor map with higher maximum (positive) and minimum (negative) flow rates, along with higher amplitude pressure fluctuations. The mean amplitude of mass flow rate and pressure ratio fluctuations at deep surge increased in nearly a quadratic fashion with rotational speed.


The randomness of disc packings, generated by random sequential adsorption (RSA), random packing under gravity (RPG) and Mason packing (MP) which gives a packing density close to that of the RSA packing, has been analysed, based on the Delaunay tessellation, and is evaluated at two levels, i.e. the randomness at individual subunit level which relates to the construction of a triangle from a given edge length distribution and the randomness at network level which relates to the connection between triangles from a given triangle frequency distribution. The Delaunay tessellation itself is also analysed and its almost perfect randomness at the two levels is demonstrated, which verifies the proposed approach and provides a random reference system for the present analysis. It is found that (i) the construction of a triangle subunit is not random for the RSA, MP and RPG packings, with the degree of randomness decreasing from the RSA to MP and then to RPG packing; (ii) the connection of triangular subunits in the network is almost perfectly random for the RSA packing, acceptable for the MP packing and not good for the RPG packing. Packing method is an important factor governing the randomness of disc packings.