While Majorana fermions remain at large as fundamental particles, they emerge in condensed matter systems with peculiar properties. Grover et al. [1] proposed a Majorana-Ising chain model, or the GSV model, where the system undergoes a tricritical Ising transition by tuning just one parameter. In this work, we generalize this model to a ladder with inter-chain Majorana couplings. From a mean field analysis, we argue that the tricritical Ising transition will also occur with inter-chain couplings that allow the system to be gapless in the non-interacting case. More crucially, based on analysis of the interacting chain model and the non-interacting ladder model, we expect the tricritical Ising modes to appear on the edges, a feature that might persist when going to 2d. We carry out extensive DMRG calculations to verify the theory in the ladder model. Finally, we discuss possible numerical probes of a 2d model.


A 43-year-old Chinese patient with a history of psoriasis developed fulminant ulcerative colitis after immunosuppressive therapy for steroid-resistant minimal change disease was stopped. Minimal change disease in association with inflammatory bowel disease is a rare condition. We here report a case showing an association between ulcerative colitis, minimal change disease, and psoriasis. The possible pathological link between 3 diseases is discussed.


Shellfish meat are popular due to their high protein content, low carbohydrate values, low fat/cholesterol profile, and the presence of some vital minerals such as copper, calcium, zinc, iron, and manganese. High nutritional values in shellfish has resulted in an increase in demand for the resource which eventually influences the economic growth in both local and international markets. The nutritional profile of periwinkle (Tympanotonus fuscatus) was studied with the aim of providing health related information to consumers. The proximate analysis was evaluated using standard analytical procedures. Results showed that periwinkle samples contained 3.69±0.63% ash, 38.38±0.19% moisture, 20.21±0% protein, 0.25±0.04% fat, 4.33±0% crude fibre and 33.15±0.78% carbohydrate. The results also revealed the mineral content of periwinkle thus: manganese content was 1.30ppm, magnesium content was 9.64ppm, calcium content was 1.55ppm, lead was 0.00ppm, iron was 5.60ppm and zinc was 0.11ppm. The findings from this work showed that periwinkle contained considerable amounts of protein, carbohydrate, ash, fibre, manganese, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc but low in fat with no lead content. Thus, increase consumption of periwinkle may help address micronutrient and protein deficiency problems.


In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), real-time service is one of the important issues. Typically, existing studies for the service are relied on beacons. Recently, beaconless routing has been proposed to overcome control overhead for resource constrained environment of WSNs. Thus, real-time communication based on the beaconless scheme could give great advantages with less energy consumption. To do that, however, it brings new challenges. For the real-time communication, each node needs to be aware of single hop delay for data forwarding within desired time. In conventional approaches, it is based on delay in neighbor information through beacons. An appropriate next forwarder is selected by a sender. However, in the beaconless scheme, a sender could not select a next forwarder since that is determined by a receiver. Also, contention delay is included in single hop delay for beaconless routing. Thus, the delay estimation principle should be renovated. In this paper, we present a receiver-based real-time routing protocol, called RBRR. We design a novel delay estimation strategy. The single hop delay from a sender to a receiver could be calculated by a receiver but not a sender. Therefore, the receiver itself makes a decision whether desired time requirement is satisfied. Simulation experiments show that the strategy achieves higher performance in terms of energy consumption.


Polymer flooding is a widely used chemical enhanced oil recovery technique in sandstones, but it has limited applications in carbonates. This is due to the harsh conditions of carbonates including high temperature, high salinity, low permeability, and high heterogeneity. Polymer flooding improves volumetric sweep efficiency through improving the adverse mobility ratio by increasing water viscosity. Therefore, the effect of trapping number on oil recovery is usually neglected. This paper numerically investigates the effect of trapping number on oil recovery by polymer flooding in carbonates under harsh conditions. The trapping number effect was predicted by running several 1D simulations using measured reservoir rock and fluid data. A previously history matched biopolymer rheological behavior was considered. This study aims to validate the flow behavior of this biopolymer through history matching recently conducted coreflooding experiments. Sensitivity studies were performed on different uncertain parameters to history match the oil recovery observed in the lab. These parameters include inaccessible pore volume (IPV), polymer adsorption, permeability reduction, shear rate coefficient, hardness of makeup water, and trapping number.
 The results showed that IPV, polymer adsorption, permeability reduction, shear rate coefficient, and hardness of makeup water have negligible effect on oil recovery by biopolymer flooding. Also, history matching of oil recovery data was not possible when these parameters were varied within their typical range of values. Interestingly, when trapping number effect was applied through capillary desaturation curve (CDC), residual oil saturation was reduced to 10% as opposed to 20% without considering its effect. The pronounced effect of trapping number in this case is due to the increase in water viscosity post-polymer flooding compared to pre-polymer flooding, which is about two orders of magnitude. Therefore, the common practice of neglecting trapping number effect during polymer flooding might be misleading, particularly in carbonates that are characterized by a shallow CDC. Trapping number effect on oil recovery by polymer flooding depends on rock type and the targeted polymer viscosity, so the results might vary. The results indicate as well the effect of polymer flooding in improving both displacement and volumetric sweep efficiencies. The effect incorporated in this study is the elastic effect without considering polymer viscoelasticity, which might require further investigation. The study at the laboratory-scale is considered as a basis for field-scale predictions.


The potential impacts of climate change on many species worldwide remains unknown, especially in those tropical regions that are centers of endemism and are highly biodiverse. This thesis provides an insight into the extinction risk of selected tree species using different species distribution modelling techniques and reviewing the current conservation status on montane forest in the Tropical Andes. Starting with a global analysis, the potential impacts of climate change on montane ecoregions is investigated, by identifying those that are more vulnerable to the expected changes in temperature and precipitation, from global predictions under different climate change scenarios. It then gives an insight on the current and potential threats to biodiversity in the Andean region, including the identification of those that are most likely to be responsible for increasing the extinction risk of the species. With the use of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, selected tree species were assessed to identify their extinction risk. Information on the species' current distribution was collated and used to estimate their potential distribution under climate change, by using different modelling techniques. These results were used to reassess the species using the IUCN Red List and establish the changes in Red List Category. Lastly, it provides a discussion that integrates all the results obtained throughout the thesis, to explore the implications for conservation, in order to highlight the overriding importance of including threatened tree species to target conservation efforts in the region, while considering the uncertainties that surround predictions under climate change scenarios, modelling techniques and the use of the IUCN Red List.


AIMS
To determine the influence of recommended therapeutic doses of pantoprazole and omeprazole on meal-stimulated acid secretion.

METHODS
In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, three-period crossover study, 12 healthy male volunteers received 40 mg pantoprazole od, 20 mg omeprazole od or placebo at 08:00 h for 5 days in a randomized order. Meal-stimulated acid secretion was determined by means of a homogenized test meal, and intragastric titration on day 1, 4-6 h, 8-10 h, 16-18 h, and 24-26 h, and on days 3 and 5, 4-6 h after oral drug administration.

RESULTS
On day 1 (4-6 h after oral drug administration), meal-stimulated acid secretion was decreased by 36% and 24% after administration of 40 mg pantoprazole or 20 mg omeprazole, respectively. After 3 and 5 days of dosing, the decreases were 88% and 85% with 40 mg pantoprazole, and 70% and 74% with 20 mg omeprazole. At all measuring points during the 5-day dosing periods, 40 mg pantoprazole proved superior to 20 mg omeprazole in inhibiting meal-stimulated gastric acid secretion. The differences were statistically significant for pantoprazole on day 1, 24-26 h after oral drug administration and on day 3 (P = 0.0425 and P = 0.0244, respectively). On day 1, only pantoprazole was significantly better than placebo (P = 0.0210, 4-6 h after dosing; P = 0.0093, 8-10 h after dosing and P = 0.0068, 16-18 h after dosing).

CONCLUSION
Pantoprazole 40 mg is significantly more effective than omeprazole 20 mg in inhibiting meal-stimulated acid secretion. In addition, pantoprazole exhibits a more rapid onset of action.


The aims of this paper are fourfold. The first aim is to characterize two distinct forms of circumstantial moral luck and illustrate how they are implicitly recognized in pre-theoretical moral thought. The second aim is to identify a significant difference between the ways in which these two kinds of circumstantial luck are morally relevant. The third aim is to show how the acceptance of circumstantial moral luck relates to the acceptance of resultant moral luck. The fourth aim is to defuse a legitimate concern about accepting the existence of circumstantial moral luck, namely the fact that its existence implies substantial moral risks.


Computer-based presentation systems enable the realization of effective and dynamic presentation styles that incorporate multiple media. Obvious examples are animated user interface agents which verbally comment on multimedia objects displayed on the screen while performing cross-media and cross-window pointing gestures. The design of such presentations must account for the temporal coordination of media output and the agent's behavior. In this paper we describe a new presentation system which not only creates the multimedia objects to be presented, but also generates a script for presenting the material to the user. In our system, this script is forwarded to an animated presentation agent running the presentation. The paper details the kernel of the system which is a component for planning temporally coordinated multimedia.


In this paper, a generic procedure for the development and subsequent validation of the Riemann surface structure (RSS) for a punctured curved surface lying on a Riemann surface is discussed. The proposed procedure differs from the existing methods involving triangular meshes and rectangular grids that rely on induced patches on surfaces. This procedure can be applied to non-punctured surfaces as well as to surfaces with irregularly located punctures. Further, by defining appropriate transition functions, the proposed procedure eliminates the requirement for smooth transitions across the boundaries of adjacent patches. The analytic formulations of the RSS for an ellipsoid and a sphere are elaborated using the proposed procedure. Moreover, the RSS of a sphere defined through a family of conformal unit discs is proven equivalent to that defined by an existing method based on stereographic projection. This study proves that a smooth projection between the surface and (a subset of) the complex plane , can be remapped to the original surface.


This study focuses on the representation of female body and health policies in the media. In this context gender relation, media and new health policies will be discussed. Body policy, health policy, descriptions of diseases and individual relationships are re-arranged in each social structure. Media, today's greatest strengths, through information, education, and as a means of socialization, has taken its place within these power relations. Based on the idea that a major force in today's society - the media, this study is to understand how it works with the new understanding of health as a means of regulation and discipline of the female body. In this context, health-related texts are analyzed in two national newspapers. Thus, a new understanding of health and female body relationships are handled in the media format is examined.


The application of relatively simple and cheap wrapped wire spacer in the European supercritical water-cooled reactor (SCWR) (high-performance light water reactor (HPLWR)) has been proposed in order to provide enhanced heat transfer in the fuel assembly without unacceptable penalty in pressure loss. The wires cause twisting flow in the fuel assembly, which means the coolant not only flows straight in the axial direction but also has a significant transverse velocity component, and strong mixing between neighboring subchannels occurs. The aim of this ongoing research is to numerically investigate the effect of wrapped wire spacers on thermal hydraulics of the turbulent coolant flow and its heat transfer in a small bundle of four fuel rods. One bare and six-wired geometries with varying wire pitches (1–6 turn(s) of wires) have been studied. It was found that the wires generate significant amount of transverse velocity, decrease the wall temperature, and increase the heat transfer coefficient mostly in corner subchannels which were the hottest in bare geometry. Thus, the presence of wires enhances heat transfer where it is most needed. Temperature hot spots with moderate values have been identified on the cladding wall of fuel rods. Based on the results, a technically optimal choice of number of wire turns from thermal hydraulic sense has been proposed.


Background: Patient safety is one of the most important dimensions in quality of healthcare. Nurses are the key in care delivery, their compliance toward Patient Safety policy cannot be overlooked. Studies evaluating determinants of nurse's compliance to Patient Safety policy is still lacking. Aims: To evaluate nurse's attitude toward Patient Safety policy using Health Belief Model (HBM). Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried on in Bali Royal Hospital, Indonesia, on December 2016. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data on socio demographics, knowledge, and attitude toward Patient Safety policy. Attitudes are specifically assessed using HBM. Results: A total of 124 nurses are included in this study. Mean age of the study population was 29.7±6.7 years. Mean score for knowledge about Patient Safety policy was 12.68±3.40 from 18.0point scale. Nurses perceived a low risk of non-compliance (mean perceived risk 8.07±1.89) and a low barrier to comply with Patient Safety policy (mean perceived barrier 8.66±1.78). Knowledge and attitudes toward Patient Safety policy did not differ by sex and educational background but it did differ according to unit of workplace. Age and length of work correlated positively to knowledge (Spearman's r=0.439, p-value 0.000; and r=0.400, p-value <0.001, respectively). A positive and moderate correlation was observed between knowledge vs. perceived severity (r= 0.394, p-value <0.001) and knowledge vs. perceived benefit (r=0.422, p-value < 0.001). There was a strong and positive correlation between perceived severity and perceived benefit (r= 0.725, p-value <0.001). Conclusion: Nurse's attitudes toward Patient Safety policy were generally good and correlate positively with knowledge. The use of HBM provides an increased understanding of how individual perceptions can be influenced to improve nurse's engagement in promoting safer health care.


1-Alkoxy-5-alkyluracils 2a-f have been prepared by the reaction of 2-alkyl-3-methoxyacryloyl isocyanates 8a-b with alkoxyamines 9a-c followed by cyclization of the resulting N-alkoxy-N'-(2-alkyl-3-methoxyacryloyl)ureas 10a-f. The isocyanates 8a-b were prepared from ethyl 2-alkylacrylates 3a-b in 5 steps.


In this study, we compared the pharmacological and biochemical characteristics of A2B adenosine receptors in recombinant (hA2BHEK293 cells) and native cells (neutrophils, lymphocytes) by using a new potent 8-pyrazole xanthine derivative, [3H]N-benzo[1,3]dioxol-5-yl-2-[5-(1,3-dipropyl-2,6-dioxo-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-purin-8-yl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl-oxy]-acetamide] ([3H]MRE 2029-F20), that has high affinity and selectivity for hA2B versus hA1,hA2A, and hA3 subtypes. [3H]MRE 2029-F20 bound specifically to the hA2B receptor stably transfected in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells with KD of 2.8 ± 0.2 nM and Bmax of 450 ± 42 fmol/mg of protein. Saturation experiments of [3H]MRE 2029-F20 binding in human neutrophils and lymphocytes detected a single high-affinity binding site with KD values of 2.4 ± 0.5 and 2.7 ± 0.7 nM, respectively, and Bmax values of 79 ± 10 and 54 ± 8 fmol/mg of protein, respectively, in agreement with real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction studies showing the presence of A2B mRNA. The rank order of potency of typical adenosine ligands with recombinant hA2B receptors was consistent with that typically found for interactions with the A2B subtype and was also similar in peripheral blood cells. 5′-N-Ethyl-carboxamidoadenosine stimulated cAMP accumulation in both hA2BHEK293 and native cells, whereas phospholipase C activation was observed in recombinant receptors and endogenous subtypes expressed in neutrophils but not in lymphocytes. MRE 2029-F20 was revealed to be a potent antagonist in counteracting the agonist effect in both signal transduction pathways. In conclusion, [3H]MRE 2029-F20 is a selective and high-affinity radioligand for the hA2B adenosine subtype and may be used to quantify A2B endogenous receptors. In this work, we demonstrated their presence and functional coupling in neutrophils and lymphocytes that play a role in inflammatory processes in which A2B receptors may be involved.


Field techniques allow accurate direct measurements on gully geometry, even in 3D- dimensional coordinates. Accuracy and detail reproduction is limited mainly by experimental setup and density of measurements, and less so by the precision of the measuring equipment. In contrast, remote-sensing techniques permit the coverage of large study areas with a minimum of time and effort. However, the indirect measurements from imagery are known to depend on factors like image resolution, quality of ground control, vegetation cover and image evaluation technique, which strongly influence the measurement accuracy. The objective of the present study was to investigate to what extent the accuracy of 3D gully measurement using photogrammetric techniques depends on gully morphology. At a study site in the Bardenas Reales (Navarre, Spain), field measurements of cross-sections were taken for five gullies with contrasting morphology and dimensions and used as reference data for analysing the errors associated with a corresponding dataset obtained using small-format aerial photogrammetry whose pixel size on the ground is 16 mm). Results show that volumetric gully measurements by means of photogrammetric techniques are strongly affected by the gully morphology; in particular by its width/depth (W/D) ratio, because of the increasing sun-shadowing and sight-shadowing effects associated with narrower gullies. Only wide, shallow gullies are little affected by this problem. For gullies of an intermediate typology (W/D between 0.5 and 2.5), the accuracy of photogrammetric measurements will much depend on the time of day and the period of the year when the photographs are taken, and narrow/deep gullies (W/D < 0.5) will be likely to be highly inaccurate at any time. Although this study was conducted with a large measurement scale for small (mostly ephemeral) gullies, the W/D ratios judged challenging for photogrammetric analysis in this study are also common for larger-sized gullies of the (permanent) bank gully type.


Despite exhibiting considerable interspecific variation in body mass, flying lizards of the genus Draco are isometric in their area‐mass scaling relationships and exhibit no significant compensatory variation in wing aspect ratio. Thus, larger species are expected to be relatively poor gliders, in lieu of behavioral or physiological compensation, when compared with smaller congeners. Here we tested this hypothesis by conducting gliding performance trials for 11 Draco species spanning virtually the entire size range of the genus. We considered three primary performance variables: maximum velocity adjusted for wind conditions, height lost over a standard horizontal glide distance, and glide angle. Comparative analysis confirmed that larger species are relatively poor gliders and do not compensate substantially for their higher wing loadings via either behavioral or physiological mechanisms. Flying lizards were found to exhibit substantial context‐dependent variation in glide performance, with smaller species often exhibiting extensive variation in height lost and glide angle between trials. Variation also was observed in empirically derived velocity profiles, with only a subset of individuals appearing to perform equilibrium glides. Such size‐dependent variation in performance has important consequences for the ecology and evolution of flying lizards and other glissant taxa.


Social work has a long history of attempting to enhance the social functioning of people by focusing on social conditions or on the individual (Boehm, 1959). At the turn of the 20th century, the American settlement house movement and the charitable organization society (COS) movement came together to form the profession of social work. In the forefront was Jane Addams, who helped create the social reforms that developed during the Progressive Era of 1890 to 1915. As Addams discovered, social movements force the issues of poverty and injustice into society's consciousness. Today, poverty and injustice are just as problematic. There is much that social workers can do to take leadership roles in the social reforms of the 1990s. One possibility is to understand better the settlement house and social reform movements. The settlement house movement drew heavily on the cultural values of "personal service" by housing settlement workers in the poor neighborhoods in which they provided services. At the same time, by promoting social and economic research and tying investigation to reform and knowledge to action, social workers helped construct a new paradigm of social welfare based on specially trained professionals with the skills and knowledge to offer effective social services in a newly industrializing society. This article examines Addams's work in both areas to provide a role model for social workers today who are facing the immense issues of poverty and injustice. Background Addams captured the dreams, ideals, imagination, and sometimes hatred of many people in the United States. As a social reformer and organizer, Addams is almost unparalleled. She was a founder of Hull-House, one of the first American settlement houses; an organizer and mediator of labor unions; a peacemaker; and a visionary who helped create the welfare state. She was an early feminist (Chambers, 1986) who understood the importance of women's relationships and connectedness in the life cycle. Addams promoted cultural differences rather than the fashionable "melting pot" idea. Addams wrote 10 books and more than 200 articles; gave hundreds of speeches, including 18 papers at the National Conference of Charities and Corrections (NCCC) from 1897 to 1933; and was elected NCCC's first female president in 1910. During her lifetime, Addams was awarded honorary degrees from 13 universities, including the first honorary degree awarded to a woman by Yale University. Addams is the only social worker who was ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Aspects of Addams's personal life influenced the development of her work. These influences can be traced from her earliest beginnings. Childhood and Adolescence Laura Jane Addams, the youngest of five children, was born in 1860 in northern, rural Illinois. Her parents, who had a strong Quaker influence, had moved to Illinois from Pennsylvania. When Addams was two years old, her mother died in childbirth, and an older sister became her mother figure. Her father remarried in 1868 to a woman who had two sons. John Addams was a respected state senator who called Abraham Lincoln a friend. He was a successful businessman who invested in railroads and banking and encouraged Addams to follow her interests and challenge her intellect under his watchful eye (Levine, 1971). (Trattner, 1989, noted that more than 40 percent of women residents of settlement houses had fathers who were active in politics.) Addams wanted to attend Smith College, but her father's theory of education was to attend a school near home "to be followed by travel abroad in lieu of the wider advantages which an eastern college is supposed to afford" (Addams, 1910, p. 46). Throughout her four years at Rockford Seminary, Addams was an outstanding student with a keen interest in writing. Her intellectual development was challenged and nurtured. Although the college tended to push young women in the direction of missionary work, Addams graduated as valedictorian with a clear purpose in mind: to study medicine and work among poor people (Lane, 1963). …


State business climate indexes capture state policies that might affect economic growth. State rankings in these indexes vary wildly, raising questions about what the indexes measure and which policies are important for growth. Indexes focused on productivity do not predict economic growth, while indexes emphasizing taxes and costs predict growth of employment, wages, and output. Analysis of sub-indexes of the tax-and-cost-related indexes point to two policy factors associated with faster growth: less spending on welfare and transfer payments; and more uniform and simpler corporate tax structures. But factors beyond the control of policy have a stronger relationship with economic growth.


A selective harmonic elimination (SHE) control strategy on a three-phase four-leg inverter is reported in this paper. The control signals of the four legs are calculated as follows: 1) control signals of three legs are mathematically expressed using Fourier-based equations on line-to-line basis as conventional SHE technology, which eliminates lower order nontriplen harmonics, and 2) the fourth leg produces the harmonics that are equal to the lower triplen harmonics produced by the other legs. The inverter has almost symmetric three-phase output voltage with unbalanced load because the fourth leg provides a low-impedance path for the triplen harmonics. The switching-to-fundamental frequency ratio is only 13 and 27 (per unit) p.u. for the three legs and the fourth leg in the proposed prototype, which is with the total harmonic distortion of output voltage lower than 4%. Selected solutions for the switching angles are presented and verified by simulation and experimentation in order to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.


Estimating the sky background is critical for ground-based astronomical research. In the optical, scattered moonlight dominates the sky background, when the moon is above the horizon. The most uncertain component of a scattered moonlight model is the aerosol scattering. The current, official sky background model for Cerro Paranal uses an extrapolated aerosol extinction curve. With a set of X-shooter sky observations, we have tested the current sky background model as well as determined the aerosol extinction from the ultra-violet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR). To our knowledge, this is the first time that a scattered moonlight model has been used for this purpose. These observations were taken of blank sky, during three different lunar phases, and at six different angular distances from the moon for each lunar phase. Overall, the current model does reproduce the observations for average conditions quite well. Using a set of sky background models with varying aerosol distributions to compare with the observations, we found the most likely aerosol extinction curves, phase functions, and volume densities for the three nights of observations and compare them with the current model. While there are some degeneracies in the aerosol scattering properties, the extinction curves tend to flatten towards redder wavelengths and are overall less steep compared to the extrapolated curve used in the current model. Also, the current model had significantly less coarse particles compared to the favored volume densities from the X-shooter data. Having more coarse particles affects the phase function by being more peaked at small angular distances. For the three nights of sky observations, the aerosol size distributions differed, most likely reflecting the changes in atmospheric conditions and aerosol content, which is expected. In short, the current sky background model is in fair agreement with the observations, and we have determined better aerosol extinction curves and phase functions for Cerro Paranal. Using nighttime sky observations of scattered moonlight and a set of sky background models is a new method to probe the aerosol content of the atmosphere.


: The article deals with the comparative estimation conducted both in the normal and atrophic gastric mucosa, its cancer tumoral tissues. All the results obtained have been studied in dependence on the atrophic gastritis variants. The process various stages as well as on the patients sex. The findings obtained evidence about more high frequency of identification and more high estrogens receptors level in the patients suffering from the cancer if compare with suffering from atrophic gastritis one.


Atopic dermatitis is the commonest skin disease in children, causing psychological, social and functional disability to them and their families. This study assessed the family impact and quality of life using the translated Malay version of The Dermatology Family Impact (DFI) and The Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) questionnaires. Seventy-two children, aged between 6 months and 16 years attending the Paediatric Dermatology Clinic at the Paediatric Institute and the Dermatology Department, Hospital Kuala Lumpur participated in this study. Thirty-nine patients (54.2%) were males and 33 patients (45.8%) were females. The median age of the patients was 74 months (Q1 6, Q3 104 months). The median age of diagnosis was 22 months (Q1 1, Q3 36 months). The median disease duration was 44 months (Q1 3, Q3 65). The severity of eczema was assessed using the SCORAD severity index (maximum score = 83). The median SCORAD (European Task Force On Atopic Dermatitis) score was 36 (n = 72, SD = 16.2). The majority of patients in this study suffered from moderately severe eczema (n = 40, mean, SCORAD = 29.3) followed by severe eczema (n = 27, mean SCORAD = 54.3). The mildly affected patients formed the minority group (n = 5, mean SCORAD = 9.0). The family impact was shown to be greater in severe atopic dermatitis compared to moderate atopic dermatitis (Anova, p = 0.02). The children's quality of life impairment was also greater in severe atopic dermatitis compared to moderate atopic dermatitis (Anova p = 0.08). This study confirms that quality of life and family impact are related to the severity of atopic dermatitis.


. Partial differential equations (PDEs) are widely used for description of physical and engineering phenomena. Some key parameters involved in PDEs, which represents certain physical properties with important scientific interpretations, are difficult or even impossible to be measured directly. Estimation of these parameters from noisy and sparse experimental data of related physical quantities is an important task. Many methods for PDE parameter inference involve a large number of evaluations of numerical solution of PDE through algorithms such as finite element method, which can be time-consuming especially for nonlinear PDEs. In this paper, we propose a novel method for estimating unknown parameters in PDEs, called PDE-Informed Gaussian Process Inference (PIGPI). Through modeling the PDE solution as a Gaussian process (GP), we derive the manifold constraints induced by the (linear) PDE structure such that under the constraints, the GP satisfies the PDE. For nonlinear PDEs, we propose an augmentation method that transfers the nonlinear PDE into an equivalent PDE system linear in all derivatives that our PIGPI can handle. PIGPI can be applied to multi-dimensional PDE systems and PDE systems with unobserved components. The method completely bypasses the numerical solver for PDE, thus achieving drastic savings in computation time, especially for nonlinear PDEs. Moreover, the PIGPI method can give the uncertainty quantification for both the unknown parameters and the PDE solution. The proposed method is demonstrated by several application examples from different areas.


Objective: To determine if the application of time-lapse incubation and monitoring can be beneficial to clinical outcomes in assisted reproductive technology. Methods: A total of 600 patients were equally randomized to three groups, namely, conventional embryo culture and standard morphological selection (CM group), time-lapse culture and standard morphological selection (TLM group), and time-lapse culture and morphokinetic selection (TLA group). Notably, 424 undergoing fresh autologous in vitro fertilization cycles were analyzed, 132 patients in the CM group, 158 in the TLM group, and 134 in the TLA group. Main outcomes included clinical outcomes, embryo development rates, and perinatal outcomes. Results: Clinical pregnancy rates in the time-lapse groups were significantly higher than in the CM group (CM 65.2% vs. TLM 77.2% vs. TLA 81.3%). Implantation rates and live birth rates were significantly higher for the TLA group (59.7 and 70.9%) compared with the CM group (47.7 and 56.1%) but not compared with the TLM group (55.4 and 67.1%). There was no statistical difference in miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy rates among the three groups. Overall, birth weight was significantly higher in the time-lapse groups (CM 2,731.7 ± 644.8 g vs. TLM 3,066.5 ± 595.4 g vs. TLA 2,967.4 ± 590.0 g). The birth height of newborns in the TLM group was significantly longer than that of the CM group and TLA group (CM 48.3± 4.4 cm vs. TLM 49.8± 2.3 cm vs. TLA 48.5± 2.7 cm). Conclusion: Time-lapse incubation and monitoring have a significant benefit on clinical pregnancy rates and on overall birth weights while morphokinetic analysis is not necessary. Clinical Trial Registration: [www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT02974517].


This paper describes the manipulator for liveline construction of high-voltage overhead power distribution lines (line voltage of 6.6 kV), jointly developed by Tokyo Electric Power and other companies. It describes the system's development concept and configuration as well as operability tests using actual-scale distribution line poles. A prototype model of a ground-mounted twin-arm manipulator was trial-manufactured in 1985. In 1988, a vehicle-mounted system was developed in which the twin-arm manipulator was mounted on a telescopic aerial truck. A practical system was then developed based on these results. >


Abstract The main objective of this was to investigate the relationship between depression, dysfunctional attitudes (DA), and their effect on quality of life (QoL) in a sample of Romanian Hungarian cancer patients. Our sample consisted of 376 patients hospitalized with different types and grades of cancer, and was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory, the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale, and the Functional Quality of Life Scale. We have found significant differences in depression only between age groups; significant differences in quality of life between age groups and different levels of education; significant differences of dysfunctional attitudes have been found between rural and urban patients. As our data have revealed, in the assessed population one of the most disturbing psychological changes that may accompany this life threatening illness consists in the heightened levels of depression. Taking into consideration the specificities of the traditional rural Romanian Hungarian culture, the reasons for these differences in depression and QoL may be induced or catalyzed by other mechanisms as well. The significant, though weak correlation between dysfunctional attitudes and depression supports this presumption. We suggest that cancer patients may need more individual-tailored and culture specific interventions. Key words: psycho-oncology, depressive symptoms, dysfunctional attitudes, quality of life. INTRODUCTION The diagnosis with cancer, its prolonged treatment and physical side effects can have a profound impact on the patient's life. Approximately 25% of the patients diagnosed with cancer report considerable levels of distress around the event (McDaniel, Musselman, Porter, Reed, & Nemeroff, 1995). This first stage is characterized by intense symptoms of anxiety, depression, cognitive, and behavioral impairments in functioning. Usually, after approximately 2-3 weeks, the levels of distress seem to decrease (Chaturvedi & Maguire, 1998; Nordin & Glimelius, 1999), the person bouncing back to an acceptable level of functioning, while trying to incorporate the event in an accommodating way into his/her life narrative. Nevertheless, a significant part of research has not found any kind of decrease in the levels of distress (Omne- Ponten, Holmberg, & Sjoden, 1992; Vinokur, Threatt, Vinokur-Caplan, & Satariano, 1990), patients experiencing anxiety and depression even years after diagnosis and cessation of treatment. As concerning the relationship between cancer and dysfunctional attitudes, long-term cancer survivors may have recurrent thoughts about the diagnosis and experience a greater sense of uncertainty about their health, about their future, and fears regarding the recurrence of the cancer (Tross & Holland, 1989). Severe, life-threatening illness does not only affect a person's organism; it affects his/her entire life on all its dimensions, exerting physical, psychological, behavioral, social, and sexual changes. The study, diagnosis, and treatment of severe illness has until recently been interested mostly in length of survival, physical and psychological changes, taking little account of the way patients perceived themselves in the particular situation. Nevertheless, most recent approaches have taken seriously into consideration this aspect as well, within the concept of quality of life (QoL) after diagnosis and/or installation of illness. The issue of QoL becomes even more stringent in clinical oncology, where both diagnosis and treatment are severely debilitating (Fayers & Bottomley, 2002). In this specific situation where the changes produced by surgical and/or non-surgical interventions (radio-therapy, chemotherapy, etc.), the implications of the highly charged psychological nature of the diagnosis itself, become decisive factors that increasingly participate in treatment decisions. Consequently, the investigation of the factors implied in QoL along other parameters of the illness is strongly supported by the actual health policy targeting the prevention of premature mortality and morbidity, and simultaneously enhancing QoL itself (Pojoga, 2001). …


MOTIVATION
We present a method that identifies associations between amino acid changes in potentially significant sites in an alignment (taking into account several amino acid properties) with phenotypic data, through the phylogenetic mixed model. The latter accounts for the dependency of the observations (organisms). It is known from previous studies that the pathogenic aspect of many organisms may be associated with a single or just few changes in amino acids, which have a strong structural and/or functional impact on the protein. Discovering these sites is a big step toward understanding pathogenicity. Our method is able to discover such sites in proteins responsible for the pathogenic character of a group of bacteria.

RESULTS
We use our method to predict potentially significant sites in the RpoS protein from a set of 209 bacteria. Several sites with significant differences in biological relevant regions were found.

AVAILABILITY
Our tool is publicly available on the CRAN network at http://cran.r-project.org/

CONTACT
firstname.lastname@example.com

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Seed point placement techniques have been introduced and improved flow visualization research domains since the beginning of the introduction of streamlines visualization. It is a starting point of the streamlines. Thus, it is crucial because the result is directly impacted by the seed point placement. Improved seed point placement has been presented with the objectives to generate uniform streamlines placement, to have longer streamlines, and to highlight important regions in the visualization result. These three objectives need to be balanced because there is a trade-off between them. Most of the available seed point placement techniques only focus on one objective and sacrifices the other two. In this paper, the Magnitude-Based Seed Point placement technique is improved to be used in 3D space. Experts review is conducted to evaluate the result as there is no proper quantitative evaluation method for 3D visualization results. Feedback from experts shows that the proposed technique provides a better result with the same streamlines count.


As there are increasing more number of digital images on internet, there is problem in retrieving more similar images from database on internet. So the content based image retrieval (CBIR) system becoming more popular for extracting & browsing more similar images from large image database. CBIR uses visual features of image such as colour, shape, texture, etc. to retrieve required image from image database. In this paper we present a literature survey of the Colour Image Retrieval Technique based on Texture. Keywords— Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR), Texture, Gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), Colour histogram, Image Retrieval Precision value (IRP).


How neurons accomplish the growth of an axon, and several dendrites sequentially is a cellular process not well understood. Here, we show that preferential somatic F-actin delivery to neurites inhibits neurite growth during axon formation. Thus, the neurite receiving less somatic F-actin is growing as an axon. During dendrites outgrowth, radial somatic F-actin translocation into all neurites is drastically diminished suggesting that cellular growth is restricted by the somatic F-actin flow into the growing neurites. Mechanistically, we report that radial somatic F-actin translocation is mediated via the Myosin II motor. Pharmacological inhibition of these molecular motors promotes neurite elongation and precludes F-actin translocation into neurites. Moreover, we show that actin phosphorylation at Y53, which promotes F-actin instability, is enriched selectively in some neurite shafts to exclude/minimize translocation of somatic F-actin only into those neurites. Therefore, enrichment of actin pY53 in the neurite shaft correlates with the longer neurite during axon formation. Accordingly, the Kinesin-1 motor domain, which accumulates transiently in neurites of stage 2 neurons and only in the emerging axon of stage 3 neurons, localizes preferentially in the neurite with the increased actin pY53 signal in the neurite shaft. Finally, we demonstrate that microtubule acetylation promotes actin phosphorylation, and these cytoskeleton modifications coexist in the longest neurite that grows as an axon. Collectively, our data support a model in which somatic F-actin translocation into undifferentiated neurites impedes growth counteracted by actin pY53, consequently, supporting neuronal polarization during axon formation.


The development of a new generation of multifunctional biomaterials is a continual goal for the field of materials science. The in vivo functional behaviour of a new fusion protein that combines the mechanical properties of spider silk with the antimicrobial properties of hepcidin was addressed in this study. This new chimeric protein, termed 6mer + hepcidin, fuses spider dragline consensus sequences (6mer) and the antimicrobial peptide hepcidin, as we have recently described, with retention of bactericidal activity and low cytotoxicity. In the present study, mouse subcutaneous implants were studied to access the in vivo biological response to 6mer + hepcidin, which were compared with controls of silk alone (6mer), polylactic–glycolic acid (PLGA) films and empty defects. Along with visual observations, flow cytometry and histology analyses were used to determine the number and type of inflammatory cells at the implantation site. The results show a mild to low inflammatory reaction to the implanted materials and no apparent differences between the 6mer + hepcidin films and the other experimental controls, demonstrating that the new fusion protein has good in vivo biocompatibility, while maintaining antibiotic function. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

Despite concerted efforts to develop new strategies for preventing and treating prostate cancer, almost 240,000 new cases of the disease are reported each year in the United States, and more than 28,000 men die of the disease annually. Most deaths occur due to complications following metastasis from the primary prostate tumor to other tissues and organs, a process dependent upon increased angiogenesis. Human prostate cancer cells are often dependent on endogenous or exogenous androgens and estrogens, which stimulate cell proliferation and metastasis and inhibit cell death. Standard treatment for primary prostate cancer often includes systemic exposure to chemotherapeutic drugs or antihormones (chemical castration); however, drug-resistant cancer cells often emerge during treatment, limiting the continued use of systemic chemotherapy. Therefore, novel, less toxic and more effective treatments for prostate cancer are urgently needed. The cholesterol biosynthetic pathway is an attractive therapeutic target for endocrine dependent cancers because cholesterol is an essential structural and functional component of cell membranes as well as being the metabolic precursor of endogenous steroid hormones. Due to certain undesirable side-effects associated with statins, such as reduced levels of isoprenoids, defective post-translational modification of membrane proteins, and impaired membrane structure and function, alternative approaches are under consideration. 2, 3-oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) is a key enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway downstream of HMGCoA-reductase, the target of statins. While studying anti-cancer properties of Ro 48-8071 [4′-[6-(Allylmethylamino)hexyloxy]-4-bromo-2′-fluorobenzophenone fumarate]) (RO), an OSC inhibitor, we found that as well as reducing tumor cell viability, RO simultaneously induced the anti-proliferative protein estrogen receptor β (ERβ). Moreover, RO also elevated ERβ in hormone-insensitive cells that are difficult to treat clinically. Initial studies suggest that combining RO with an ERβ agonist increases the antiproliferative effects of RO in prostate cancer cells. RO also induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells, determined by FACS analysis. In addition, RO effectively reduced the growth of prostate cancer xenografts (PC3 cells) in vivo without any signs of toxicity to experimental animals. Importantly, RO did not reduce the viability of normal prostate cells (RWPE-1). Our study is the first to demonstrate that disrupting cholesterol biosynthesis through OSC inhibition is a novel and potent means by which to destroy human prostate cancer cells. Further studies are necessary to determine the mechanism of RO-mediated loss of prostate cancer cell viability.

Support:

Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Pgm grant W81XWH-14-1-0246, NIH grant R21 GM088517, and by a COR grant from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting.

Citation Format: Yayun Liang, Benford Mafuvadze, Xiaoqin Zou, Cynthia Besch-Williford, Salman M. Hyder. Inhibition of oxidosqualene cyclase blocks proliferation and survival of prostate cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 5422. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5422


Accumulating evidence demonstrates that the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) neurons serve as central respiratory chemoreceptors, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain undefined. The present study investigated the expression of acid-sensitive ether-à-go-go-gene-like (Elk, Kv12) channels in the NTS of mice. Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the distribution and cellular localization of the Kv12 channels in NTS neurons. Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) were used to evaluate protein and mRNA expression levels of Kv12 channels. The results showed that all of the three members (Kv12.1, Kv12.2, Kv12.3) of the Kv12 channel family were expressed in NTS neurons, and their expressions were co-localized with paired-like homeobox 2b gene (Phox2b) expression. The expression of Kv12.1 mRNA was the largest, whereas the expression of Kv12.3 was the least in the NTS. The results suggest Kv12 channels are expressed in Phox2b-expressing neurons in the NTS of mice, which provides molecular evidence for pH sensitivity in Phox2b-expressing NTS neurons.


Prevalence of nine chronic medical conditions in the population-based Ft. Devens Cohort (FDC) of GW veterans were compared with the population-based 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cohort. Excess prevalence was calculated as the difference in prevalence estimates from the Ft. Devens and NHANES cohorts; and confidence intervals and p-values are based on the standard errors for the two prevalence estimates. FDC males were at increased risk for reporting seven chronic medical conditions compared with NHANES males. FDC females were at decreased risk for high blood pressure and increased risk for diabetes when compared with NHANES females. FDC veterans reporting war-related chemical weapons exposure showed higher risk of high blood pressure; diabetes; arthritis and chronic bronchitis while those reporting taking anti-nerve gas pills had increased risk of heart attack and diabetes. GW veterans are at higher risk of chronic conditions than the general population and these risks are associated with self-reported toxicant exposures.


Fort Lauderdale, FL—The B?rveldt-250 mm2 Glaucoma Implant (Advanced Medical Optics) seems to be more effective at lowering IOP than the Ahmed S2 Glaucoma Valve (New World Medical Inc.) in adult patients with refractory glaucoma. However, regardless of which of the devices is implanted, the preoperative IOP is a risk factor for eventual failure, according to Darrell WuDunn, MD, PhD, and colleagues, who presented their findings at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.


Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological risk factors for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) patients admitted to our hospitals between January 2004- December 2006. Materials and methods: This was a study of 63 CCHF patients whose definitive diagnosis was based on the detection of CCHF virus-specific IgM by ELISA and/or of genomic segments of the CCHF virus by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 50 healthy controls. Related data were collected prospectively. Results: Twenty-two (50.8%) of the patients were female, and 31 of them (49.2%) were male. The mean age of the patients was 46 years. Anti-CCHF virus IgM was positive in 52 patients, and RT-PCR was positive in 13 patients. Thirty two patients (50.8%) had a tick-bite history before the onset of fever. Fifty-nine (93.6%) patients were involved farming/handling livestock, and they were living in rural area. In univariate analysis of epidemiological factors of the patients and healthy controls, farming (P < 0.001), handled livestock (P < 0.001), living in rural area (P < 0.001), and history of tick-bite (P < 0.001) were determined as the risk factors for CCHF in this study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed only farming (OR = 59.9) and tick-bite history (OR = 5.9) as risk factors for CCHF. The disease was observed between April and August (most frequent in July, 2005 and June, 2006). Conclusion: We saw that CCHF appears to be an increasing seasonal problem in our region, and obtaining the epidemiological factors of CCHF is important for determining the prevention strategy.


The EPS scheme of constructive axiomatics for the spacetime geometry leads to a Weyl structure. Torsion cannot be introduced by this method but is obtained in the following by enlarging the axiomatics. If spacetime geometry is what prescribes the respective trajectories to the light rays and freely falling particles, and the propagation to the spin of these particles, then spacetime is a manifold with a Weyl-Cartan structure with a totally antisymmetric contorsion. If one combines the non-operational demand for a unified geometrical description of all three types of physical propagation processes into one universal affine geometry, then spacetime reduces to a Weyl-Cartan space with a totally antisymmetric contorsion.


Love is a recurring theme in bell hooks' thought, where it is explicidy linked to her understanding of freedom and liberation. In this essay, I wil l bring together some of hooks' most important writings on love in order to clarify her account of the relationship between love and liberation. I wil l argue that, for hooks, the practice of love and the practice of freedom are inextricably connected, and any liberatory project must be undertaken within the context of an ethics of love.


YmoA and Hha are highly similar bacterial proteins downregulating gene expression in Yersinia enterocolitica and Escherichia coli, respectively. The phenotype of ymoA mutants evokes that of mutants affected in some histone-like proteins. This paper describes complementation of a ymoA mutation in Y. enterocolitica by the hha gene from E. coli. We show that YmoA and Hha are not only very similar proteins but that they are functionally interchangeable. Genetic experiments indicate that Hha can also stimulate transposition events in vivo. By Southern blot analysis we detected hha-homologous genes at least in Citrobacter diversus, Shigella flexneri, Shigella dysenteriae, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhimurium. We suggest that both YmoA and Hha belong to a new family of proteins downregulating gene expression in different enterobacteria.


Summary The experiment was conducted between 2016-17 to evaluate the efficacy of PRE emergence and POST herbicides for effective weed control in wheat crops and analyse if pendimethalin may replace usually spring post-applied herbicides. The applied PRE emergence herbicide was pendimethalin and POST herbicides were prosulfuron, amidosulfuron + iodosulfuron-methyl-natrium + mefenpyr-diethyl, pyroxsulam, amidosulfuron + iodosulfuron-methyl-natrium + mefenpyr-diethyl + fenoxaprop-p-ethyl. The weed population consisted mainly of annual and some perennial weeds. Weediness comprised 31 plants m -2 in the control plots and 1.3-9.0 plants m -2 in the plots treated with herbicides. The highest numbers of individuals were recorded for Persicaria maculosa (8.0 plants m -2 ), Chenopodium album (7.3 plants m -2 ), Apera spica-venti (7.0 plants m -2 ) and Convolvulus arvensis (3.0 plants m -2 ). Most POST herbicides effectively reduced dominant weeds with the highest efficacy in plots treated with herbicide amidosulfuron + iodosulfuron-metil-natrium + mefenpir-dietil (95.9%). Furthermore, the efficacy of PRE herbicide pendimethalin with two doses was lower compared to POST herbicides, besides amidosulfuron + iodosulfuron-metil-natrium + mefenpir-dietil + fenoxaprop-p-ethyl. The treated plots with herbicides showed a statistically higher wheat yield compared to control plots. The PRE herbicide pendimethalin may replace POST herbicides, but this depends strongly on used dosage, climatic conditions and weeds that germinate in the spring. Wheat yields differed among PRE herbicide pendimethalin applications and POST herbicide, ranging between 5115 and 7003 kg ha -1 .


of the nation's community college students. Low fees and open-admission policies in this sector provide critical access to many students who otherwise might not attend college. This is particularly true of low-income students, at least one-quarter of all CCC students. Even though CCCs have the lowest average fees of any state two-year public system and a generous financial aid program to waive fees for low-income students, money is still a barrier to college access. Students must still find ways to pay for books and supplies, food, housing, and transportation costs. The federal Pell grant was designed to help very lowincome students pay college expenses, but fewer than 230,000 degree-seeking students at CCCs receive them (about 10 percent). In 2006–07 students received an average Pell award of just under $2,300. In this study, we examine data on low-income community college students in California to determine who among them received Pell grants and why so many poor students apparently do not benefit from this program.


Ayurveda is about ten thousand year old science. There are several surgical and parasurgical procedures mentioned in ancient ayurvedic texts which are applicable today by making few technologic modifications to traditional use of them. One such parasurgical procedure is raktamokshan (bloodletting). Acharya Sushruta, father of Indian surgery, considered rakta (blood) as a fourth dosha (bodily humour necessary to carry out physiological functions) as it is responsible for nourishment of body and our efforts should be towards maintaining its health. Vitiation of rakta leads to varying pathologies. Raktaj (blood borne) and pittaj (bodily humour responsible for metabolism and transformation) diseases that cannot be cured by medication are treated by bloodletting. It is very ancient yet less accredited application of ayurveda. Leech therapy, venesection, cupping therapy which are gaining name today are all described as a subtype of raktamokshan in ayurveda thousands of years back. Nowadays, a lot of trained ayurvedic practitioners are practising raktamokshan (bloodletting) therapy. The present study enlightens the scientific practice of these procedures by acharyas as well as modern technologic advances applied for their use.


Radiation greatly exceeding blackbody between two objects separated by microscale distances has attracted great interest. However, challenges in reaching small separation between two plates have so far prevented studies below a separation distance of about 25 nm. Here, we report a study of radiation enhancement in the near-field regime of less than 10 nm between two parallel plates. We make use of bulk, rigid plates to approach small separation distances without the adverse snap-in effect, develop embedded temperature sensors to allow near-zero separation, and employ advanced sensing method to level the plates and approach and maintain small separations. Our findings agree with theoretical predictions between parallel surfaces with separations down to 7 nm where an 18,000 times enhancement in radiation between two quartz plates is observed. Our method can also be used to explore heat transfer between other materials, and can possibly be extended to smaller separation gaps.


The aim of this study is to report the femtosecond laser with the characteristics of ultra-short pulse to develop the laser scribing technique of CIGS thin-film solar cells. In recent years, the P1 layer has always been scribed by long-pulse laser. The P2 and P3 layers are usually scribed by using high precision machine. To make a breakthrough in scribing processes for CIGS solar cell, the femtosecond laser scribing technique is proposed in this work. The wavelengths of femtosecond laser scribing in our work are in the range of infrared. The P1, P2 and P3 layers are scribed by using femtosecond laser processing at 1035 nm. In order to investigate the film, samples were scribed with the laser beam, and subsequently measured for film composition by X-ray fluorescence (EDS-XRF) spectroscopy. Optical microscopy was used to characterize the appearance of the scribed lines. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical microscope (OM) were utilized to inspect the appearance of the laser treated films. The experimental results indicated that the substrates made of Mo (Molybdenum), CIGS and ZnO (ITO) can all be employed and the edges of metal device are especially suitable for femtosecond laser scribing. The scribing speed of femtosecond laser for Mo/glass substrate can reach as high as 2000 mm/s. Through the study, we got the best processes parameters of manufacturing. The results of this study indicated femtosecond laser can indeed improve the scribing quality in processing Mo material and CIGS thin-film as well.


Parafollicular cells (PC) of the sheep thyroid gland are neural crest derivatives that synthesize and release the biogenic amine serotonin (5-HT) as well as the hormone calcitonin. The thyroid also contains a highly specific serotonin-binding protein (SBP). Separation of dissociated thyroid cells was done to study the cellular localization of SBP and to develop a means of isolating PC for study. Various methods were used to obtain an enriched and purified population of PC. Minced thyroid glands were enzymatically dissociated and the cells were layered on a Ficoll linear density gradient. Fractions obtained from the gradient were examined for cell number, viability, 5-HT concentration, SBP activity, and morphology by electron microscopy. One of the fractions was found to be enriched in PC. High levels of 5-HT and SBP were also found in this fraction, whereas these levels were low where the majority of cells were found. This PC-rich fraction, however, contained numerous follicular cells (FC); therefore, additional approaches to cell separation were used. FC can be stimulated in vitro with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) to become intensely phagocytic. When stimulated cells were incubated in the presence of silica microspheres, the FC engulfed the microspheres, which were toxic to them. PC did not become phagocytic and were unharmed by the microspheres. Suspended cells, after incubation with microspheres, were centrifuged on a discontinuous gradient, and a PC-rich fraction was obtained. Silica, however, interfered with analysis of SBP. Another method to take advantage of the phagocytic potential of FC was therefore used. TSH-stimulated cell suspensions were passed through a column of sepharose to which thyroglobulin had been coupled. Stimulated FC apparently adhered to the beads and were retained by the columns. Fractions eluting from the columns were greatly enriched with PC. These fractions contained high levels of 5-HT and SBP, and considerably reduced FC contamination was found by quantitative electron microscopy. It is concluded that SBP is localized to PC in the sheep thyroid. The idea that these cells resemble serotonergic neurons in their mechanisms of 5-HT storage is supported.


Moral education is the informed process of inculcating enduring values and virtues that would mould good personality and garden the mind towards good character faces a setback due to moral decadence made manifest in different spheres of life in Nigeria. Moral decadence poses serious challenges to the sustainable growth in moral education due to the lack of moral fiber in the conscience of many Nigerians irrespective of class, religion, socio-economic and political standing in Nigeria. This study is to examine the various ways moral decadence has been a setback to moral education in Nigeria that the study adopted Anomie in examining the causes, effects and possible solutions to the scourge of moral decadence in Nigeria. The research engaged majorly secondary data obtained from documentary sources such as journals, textbooks, magazines, dailies, thesis, dissertations and internet materials. They were complimented by primary methods which include interview and observation methods. They will be historically, analytically, phenomenologically and descriptively show that moral decadence is deeply rooted and manifest in people, institutions and relationships in Nigeria. It possesses a serious challenge to the families, traditional institutions, the church, educational system and the society at large. It is recommended that checking the excesses of immoral activities to moral education is a collaborative and collective effort of all and sundry.


desirable jobs, jobs that the native population is unwilling to undertake. In this sense, Puerto Ricans share many of the same characteristics with other immigrants. By examining the migration experience of Puerto Ricans in New England, this book sheds light on the conditions that contribute to the disruption of family life and relegates many Puerto Ricans to a life of poverty. Overall, the book could have been more succinct and thus contributing to an area little researched. In addition, the use of more recent research may have provided better insight into this process.


BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES
Lymphatic filariasis is a major public health problem in the coastal district of Orissa. However, no systematic studies have been done to document the prevalence of microfilaraemia/disease in different regions of the State. Therefore, the present cross sectional study was undertaken during 1996-97 to obtain information on the clinical and epidemiological status of the disease in Satyabadi block area of Puri district, known to be endemic for filariasis.

METHODS
Night blood smear survey and clinical examinations were performed on 4646 individuals aged 0-> or = 60 yr from systematically selected households of 17 randomly selected villages of the Block. Microfilaraemia was detected by thick drop technique using 20 microliters of peripheral blood and microfilariae (mf) density by nucleopore filtration technique collected during 1900-2300 h.

RESULTS
The prevalence of microfilaraemia was observed to be 14.8 per cent; 13.3 per cent Wuchereria bancrofti, 1.4 per cent Brugia malayi and 0.09 per cent had mixed infections. Geometric mean microfilaraemia density (infected persons only) was found to be 1288 per ml in case of W. bancrofti and 204 per ml in case of B. malayi. The disease rate was observed to be 19.8 per cent; 12.85 per cent had acute manifestations and 6.97 per cent had chronic manifestations.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION
The rate of acute disease manifestations was observed to be significantly higher (P < 0.001) than chronic manifestations. There was a male preponderence among the affected individuals (P < 0.001). The interesting observations of the study were the occurrence of occult filarial manifestations viz., tropical pulmonary eosinophilia (TPE) in 0.47 per cent cases and other associated manifestations like asymptomatic microscopic haematuria, monoarticular arthritis and filarial associated respiratory diseases in 0.50, 0.24 and 0.19 per cent of cases respectively. The present study indicates that the area is highly endemic for lymphatic filariasis with active transmission.


1. Currents of intramembranous charge movement were recorded, together with intracellular [Ca2+], in single muscle fibres subjected to voltage‐clamp depolarization and 'pulses' of extracellular solution with a Ca2+ release‐inducing concentration of caffeine (10 mM). 2. When caffeine was present prior to and during the voltage pulses, the charge transferred by pulses to between ‐60 and ‐40 mV increased by about 40%. 3. In fibres depleted of Ca2+ in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), caffeine had no effect on charge transfer or kinetics. 4. Whenever the prior exposure to caffeine resulted in a large elevation in [Ca2+]i at the start of the depolarizing pulse, there was an increase in I beta, the monotonically decaying component of charge movement. When the presence of caffeine enhanced Ca2+ release induced by the pulse, there was increase in I gamma, the hump‐like component. 5. The charge transferred during a pulse to ‐50 mV increased with time of exposure to caffeine. Ca2+ release induced by the voltage pulse grew during the first second of caffeine exposure, then decreased with longer exposure time. The enhancement of charge transfer by caffeine was therefore not due to the increase in Ca2+ release caused by the drug. 6. The increase in charge transfer was a uniform, monotonically increasing function of the [Ca2+]i attained at the end of the voltage pulse. 7. Charge transfer, as a function of [Ca2+]i, pulse voltage and time, was simulated with a model, used previously, in which Ca2+ binds to intracellular sites and increases the electrical potential near the voltage sensors. Two sites were needed to fit the observations, with dissociation constants of 60 nM and 2 to 10 microM. 8. In the presence of caffeine, the voltage‐driven movement of a given amount of intra‐membranous charge resulted in greater activation of release permeability. 9. All effects of caffeine observed in this and the preceding paper could be explained assuming a single action: caffeine increases the tendency of the release channels to open. This results in opening of closed channels and an increase in their susceptibility to activation by the voltage sensors.


Objective Recent research grounded in the experiences of elite female athletes has shed light on the complex challenges of navigating sport environments that do not support or value pregnant or postpartum athletes. The purpose of this study was to explore the unique experiences of coaches and healthcare providers working with pregnant and postpartum elite athletes, and to identify actionable steps for research, policy and culture change to support them. Methods Sixteen participants (five coaches, three physicians and eight physiotherapists), who have worked with pregnant and/or postpartum elite athletes within the last 5 years, participated in this qualitative study. Thirteen participants self-identified as women, and three as men. Data were generated via semistructured one-on-one interviews that were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed through a process of content analysis. Results The findings of this research are represented by five main themes: (a) lack of female athlete reproductive research, (b) need for evidence-informed education and training, (c) need to develop evidence-based progression for sport participation in pregnancy and postpartum, (d) open communication to support athlete-centred care and (e) essential supports and changes required for pregnant/postpartum athletes. Conclusion Findings from this study, which are grounded in the unique perspectives of coaches and healthcare providers, outline specific recommendations to inform policy and practices that support athletes through the perinatal period, such as developing evidence-based return-to-sport protocols.


According to accepted doctrine, agonist-bound G protein-coupled receptors catalyze the exchange of GDP for GTP and facilitate the dissociation of Gα and Gβγ, which in turn regulate their respective effectors. More recently, the existence of preformed signaling complexes, which may include receptors, heterotrimeric G proteins, and/or effectors, is gaining acceptance. We show herein the existence of a preformed complex of inactive heterotrimer (Gαs·βγ) and the effector type 5 adenylyl cyclase (AC5), localized by the N terminus of AC5. GST fusions of AC5 N terminus (5NT) bind to purified G protein subunits (GDP-Gαs and Gβγ) with apparent affinities of 270 ± 21 and 190 ± 7 nM, respectively. GDP-bound Gαs and Gβγ did not compete, but rather facilitated their interaction with 5NT, consistent with the isolation of a ternary complex (5NT, Gαs, and Gβγ) by gel filtration. The AC5/Gβγ interaction was also demonstrated by immunoprecipitation and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and the binding site of heterotrimer Gαs·βγ mapped to amino acids 60 to 129 of 5NT. Deletion of this region in full-length AC5 resulted in significant reduction of FRET between Gβγ and AC. 5NT also interacts with the catalytic core of AC, mainly via the C1 domain, to enhance Gαs- and forskolin-stimulated activity of C1/C2 domains. The N terminus also serves to constrain Gαi-mediated inhibition of AC5, which is relieved in the presence of Gβγ. These results reveal that 5NT plays a key regulatory role by interacting with the catalytic core and scaffolding inactive heterotrimeric G proteins, forming a preassembled complex that is potentially braced for GPCR activation.


The full potential of e-learning, a trend that is of growing importance lately, will not be reaped unless the users fully utilize the system, triggering extensive research to be conducted in order to provide valuable insight on a myriad of variables influencing user acceptance in e-learning systems. The main purpose of the study is to determine the factors that affect the intention of users to use e-learning and to get results which can guide system developers and researchers. In accordance with this purpose, 203 studies investigating the e-learning acceptance of the users through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) were found in the literature. In those studies, variables which are suggested to determine Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and results of related hypotheses are analyzed. Finally, a model is proposed. In this model, the most widely accepted hypotheses, affecting PU and PEOU according to the literature are included in the original TAM. As a result; it determines Self Efficacy-PEOU, Subjective Norm-PU, Self Efficacy-PU, Interaction-PU, Enjoyment-PEOU, Anxiety-PEOU, Enjoyment-PU, Compatibility-PU, Subjective Norm-PEOU and Interaction-PEOU as variables that have statistical significance in users' PU and PEOU, respectively. Moreover, the study examines the relationship between the User Satisfaction and original TAM variables, and proposes the Acceptance and Satisfaction Model for E-Learning (ASME) as a model to best explain the dependent variables described above.


Constantin presents the Euler equations of ideal incompressible fluids and the blow-up problem for the Navier-Stokes equations of viscous fluids, describing major mathematical questions of turbulence theory. These are connected to the Caffarelli-Kohn-Nirenberg theory of singularities for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, explained in Gallavotti's lectures. Kazhikhov introduces the theory of strong approximation of weak limits via the method of averaging, applied to Navier-Stokes equations. Y. Meyer focuses on nonlinear evolution equations and related unexpected cancellation properties, either imposed on the initial condition, or satisfied by the solution itself, localized in space or in time variable. Ukai discusses the asymptotic analysis theory of fluid equations, the Cauchy-Kovalevskaya technique for the Boltzmann-Grad limit of the Newtonian equation, the multi-scale analysis, giving compressible and incompressible limits of the Boltzmann equation, and the analysis of their initial layers.


In reviewing the literature on gastro-enterology for 1935 the same policy has been followed as last year. Many original articles have been written on many subjects, but only certain fertile fields have been touched on in this review, and the barren ones have been ignored. Two subjects dealing with peptic ulcer—the treatment of massive hemorrhage and the inadvisability of gastro-enterostomy for uncomplicated duodenal ulcer—have received particular attention. Gastroscopy and gastritis and the recently developed methods of medical treatment for peptic ulcer have not been discussed this year, as it is as yet too soon to draw any mature conclusions about these topics, which were covered in 1934. ESOPHAGUS With an improved technic for the roentgen examination of the esophagus and with the wider use of esophagoscopy, more and more clinical attention is being paid to the occurrence of peptic ulcer of the esophagus. Roessler 1 in an excellent review of


von Willebrand disease (VWD) constitutes the most common inherited human bleeding disorder. Partial quantitative von Willebrand factor (VWF) deficiency is responsible for the majority of VWD cases. International guidelines recommend that patients with mild to moderate reductions in plasma VWF antigen (VWF:Ag) levels (typically in the range of 30-50 IU/dL) should be diagnosed with low VWF. Over the past decade, a series of large cohort studies have provided significant insights into the biological mechanisms involved in type 1 VWD (plasma VWF:Ag levels <30 IU/dL). In striking contrast, however, the pathogenesis underpinning low VWF has remained poorly understood. Consequently, low VWF patients continue to present significant clinical challenges with respect to genetic counseling, diagnosis, and management. For example, there is limited information regarding the relationship between plasma VWF:Ag levels and bleeding phenotype in subjects with low VWF. In addition, it is not clear whether patients with low VWF need treatment. For those patients with low VWF in whom treatment is deemed necessary, the optimal choice of therapy remains unknown. However, a number of recent studies have provided important novel insights into these clinical conundrums and the molecular mechanisms responsible for the reduced levels observed in low VWF patients. These emerging clinical and scientific findings are considered in this review, with particular focus on pathogenesis, diagnosis, and clinical management of low VWF.


Gallery - AA 79 Dr Charles Duguid - South Australian Museum Archives Finding Aid and Index to Records relating to Australian Aboriginal People


Drilled solid is a continuous contaminant in drilling mud during drilling operation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the statistical correlation of drilled solid concentration on mud rheology. A Spearman's correlation was used to determine the relationship between 31 mud rheology data and the drilled solid concentration data from North Kuwait Field. Four rheological models were used to compare the rheological behaviour of the drilled solid-laden drilling fluid which were Bingham Plastic, Power Law, Herschel-Bulkley and Robertson-Stiff Model. Results showed that a positive monotonic relationship was observed between all drilled solid concentration and mud rheology parameters. An excessive relationship was observed between drilled solid concentration and mud density with a Spearman coefficient (ρ) of 0.942. Other mud rheology parameters such as plastic viscosity, yield point and gel strength show a significant (high) relationship with a spearman coefficient (ρ) in between 0.833 and 0.704. Flow curves of the drilled solid-laden drilling fluids used in this study can be well depicted by the Herschel-Bulkley and Robertson-Stiff Model. These results are not only support the justifiable attention given to address drilled solid impact to the mud rheology, but they also proposed a statistically approach in preparing data for analysis.


Background: Prophylactic platelet transfusion is commonly used to prevent life-threatening bleeding events in patients with severe thrombocytopenia associated with chemotherapy courses or hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (HSCT). In adults, the transfusion threshold for prophylaxis is usually set at 10x109plts/L, but in pediatric setting, it is still a matter of debate. Moreover, evidences from the PLADO trial (Slichter SJ et al. N Engl J Med. 2010) and recommendations form international guidelines (ICTMG, Nahirniak S et al. Transfus Med Rev. 2015) suggest two different platelet doses in Inpatients and Outpatients, but clinical experiences in children are still lacking.
 Aims: In order to confirm the safety of the recommended transfusion threshold, to test two different platelet doses in hospitalized patients and Outpatient setting and to optimize platelet clinical use, as a Children's Hospital, we applied, starting from January 2018, a new prophylactic platelet transfusion policy.
 Methods: Platelet dose was calculated based on body-surface area (BSA) of each patient (from age-standardized weight). As suggested by ICTMG, different platelets doses were given to Inpatients and Outpatients: (low-dose) 1.1x1011platelets per square meter (plts/m2) and (medium-dose) 2.2x1011plts/m2, respectively. The transfusion threshold for prophylaxis was set at 10x109plts/L, but higher threshold could be considered as per clinical decision (in presence of bleeding signs or risk factors for major bleeding). Patients with platelets refractoriness and newborns, were excluded from our study. Only major bleeding events (grade 3 or higher according to World Health Organization criteria) were collected during the study period.
 Results: From January 2018 to June 2019, 15278 platelet pediatric aliquots were transfused in our Hospital. Of all the aliquots, 8876 (58.1%) were obtained from apheresis procedures and 6402 (41.9%) from buffy-coat-derived pooled platelet concentrates. Almost 77% (11751) of the all aliquots were transfused in patients with onco-hematologic diseases.
 Among these, 9771 (64.0%) in the Inpatient group (N=547) and 1980 (13.0%) in the Outpatient group (N=385). Between Inpatients, 6794 (44.5%) aliquots were transfused in Onco-Hematology Ward and 2977 (19.5%) in the HSCT unit.
 During the study period, only 10 major bleeding events were observed. No fatal hemorrhagic episode was recorded and all of the bleedings occurred in hospitalized patients, and accounted for almost 2% of this population.
 Intracranial bleeding accounted for five out of six grade 4 bleeding episodes, and occurred in two patients with acute myelogenous leukemia, in one patient with Hodgkin lymphoma and in two patients with advance neuroblastoma. The other grade 4 bleeding event was a massive peritoneal and pleuric hemorrhage with a life-threatening haemodinamic instability in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (the main characteristics of these patients are reported in the table).
 Conclusions: our results show that a platelet transfusion policy based on recommendation mainly developed in adults may be safely applied also to pediatric patients with cancer or receiving HSCT. In fact, the lower dose used in Inpatient group resulted in a grade 4 bleeding rate similar to that observed in the PLADO trial (1.0% vs 0.7%). The double dose transfused in Oupatients was effective in preventing major bleeding events.
 Table.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Ironing out the details of mucosal healing Anemia is a frequent complication of disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, occurring in part as a result of increased bleeding into the intestine. Bessman et al. show that the peptide hormone hepcidin, which regulates systemic iron homeostasis, is required for intestinal repair in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease (see the Perspective by Rescigno). This effect was independent of hepatocyte-produced hepcidin and systemic iron levels. Instead, production of hepcidin by conventional dendritic cells was necessary and sufficient to promote local iron sequestration by macrophages, which in turn modulated the makeup of the gut microbiota to one with a more beneficial distribution of species. Science, this issue p. 186; see also p. 129 Hepcidin, a master regulator of iron homeostasis, is released from immunological dendritic cells and required for intestinal tissue repair. Bleeding and altered iron distribution occur in multiple gastrointestinal diseases, but the importance and regulation of these changes remain unclear. We found that hepcidin, the master regulator of systemic iron homeostasis, is required for tissue repair in the mouse intestine after experimental damage. This effect was independent of hepatocyte-derived hepcidin or systemic iron levels. Rather, we identified conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) as a source of hepcidin that is induced by microbial stimulation in mice, prominent in the inflamed intestine of humans, and essential for tissue repair. cDC-derived hepcidin acted on ferroportin-expressing phagocytes to promote local iron sequestration, which regulated the microbiota and consequently facilitated intestinal repair. Collectively, these results identify a pathway whereby cDC-derived hepcidin promotes mucosal healing in the intestine through means of nutritional immunity.


Introduction: Fibromyalgia is a non-inflammatory rheumatic syndrome of unknown etiology manifested in the musculoskeletal system through diffuse and chronic pain and presence of tender points, which may be associated with fatigue, anxiety, muscle stiffness, skin sensitivity, pain after exercise, functional impairment and sleep disorders. Objective: This study aimed to perform a systematic literature review in order to check which physiotherapy resources are mostly used today and what are the most significant results in the treatment of fibromyalgia. Method: An integrative literature review was conducted by searching electronic databases of indexed data such as Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS), MEDLINE/ PubMed and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO). Randomized clinical trials were selected in the period from January 2001 to June 2013 published in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Methodological quality was assessed using the Jadad Quality Scale. Results: Overall, 522 studies were reviewed in full and only 13 were included after application of the exclusion criteria. Among these, articles that addressed the use of electrotherapic resources (n = 4), hydrotherapy (n = 3), conventional therapy (n = 3), physical exercise (n = 2) and multidisciplinary treatment (n = 1) were identified, with diversified results, protocols and application times of each methodology. Conclusion: It has been found that there are a small number of studies with scientific relevance published in the last 10 years evidencing techniques that have obtained better results in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia. Further studies with better design aimed at obtaining more conclusive results should be conducted.


In the light of our present knowledge, the treatment of syphilis without the certain information to be gained by means of the Wassermann reaction is more or less uncertain, and the same may be said for the diagnosis in many of its obscure and protean manifestations, conditions which were up to the last few years the subject of therapeutic diagnosis and guesswork. For the past two years we have treated and kept under observation a series of patients in the military service at Vancouver Barracks, Washington. The clinical work was performed separately from the laboratory work; in fact, the former was done by reasoner at Vancouver Barracks, and the latter by Matson at Portland, Oregon. In this manner it is believed that the personal element was largely eliminated. In this series we have used various methods of treatment and followed closely over sixty cases of syphilis running all the way


In a preceding paper [J. W. P. Schmelzer, J. Chem. Phys. 136, 074512 (2012)], a general kinetic criterion of glass formation has been advanced allowing one to determine theoretically the dependence of the glass transition temperature on cooling and heating rates (or similarly on the rate of change of any appropriate control parameter determining the transition of a stable or metastable equilibrium system into a frozen-in, non-equilibrium state of the system, a glass). In the present paper, this criterion is employed in order to develop analytical expressions for the dependence of the upper and lower boundaries and of the width of the glass transition interval on the rate of change of the external control parameters. It is shown, in addition, that the width of the glass transition range is strongly correlated with the entropy production at the glass transition temperature. The analytical results are supplemented by numerical computations. Analytical results and numerical computations as well as existing experimental data are shown to be in good agreement.


This paper proposes a robust adaptive fuzzy tracking control scheme for a nonholonomic mobile robot with external disturbances as well as parameter uncertainties in the robot kinematics, the robot dynamics, and the actuator dynamics. In modeling a mobile robot, the actuator dynamics is integrated with the robot kinematics and dynamics so that the actuator input voltages are the control inputs. The presented controller is designed based on a FBFN (Fuzzy Basis Function Network) to approximate an unknown nonlinear dynamic function with the uncertainties, and a robust adaptive input to overcome the uncertainties. When the controller is designed, the different parameters for two actuator models in the actuator dynamics are taken into account. The proposed control scheme does not require the kinematic and dynamic parameters of the robot and actuators accurately. It can also alleviate the input chattering and overcome the unknown friction force. The stability of the closed-loop control system including the kinematic control system is guaranteed by using the Lyapunov stability theory and the presented adaptive laws. The validity and robustness of the proposed control scheme are shown through a computer simulation.


A well-designed framework for risk classification and ratemaking in automobile insurance is key to insurers' profitability and risk management, while also ensuring that policyholders are charged a fair premium according to their risk profile. In this paper, we propose to adapt a flexible regression model, called the Mixed LRMoE, to the problem of a posteriori risk classification and ratemaking, where policyholder-level random effects are incorporated to better infer their risk profile reflected by the claim history. We also develop a stochastic variational Expectation-Conditional-Maximization algorithm for estimating model parameters and inferring the posterior distribution of random effects, which is numerically efficient and scalable to large insurance portfolios. We then apply the Mixed LRMoE model to a real, multiyear automobile insurance dataset, where the proposed framework is shown to offer better fit to data and produce posterior premium which accurately reflects policyholders' claim history.


Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is directly related to cancer growth and its distant spread, and thus, it is considered a promising biomarker for diagnosis and post-treatment monitoring of patients with malignancies. Zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) is a zinc-centered raw purple compound (protoporphyrin) that has unique optical and electrochemical characteristics. In this study, we used a ZnPP-modified gold electrode to generate a chemical bond with Avastin by self-assembly and fabricate a Au/ZnPP/Avastin electrode. Bovine serum protein (BSA) was added to the electrode to prevent non-specific linkage with biomolecules. The prepared Au/ZnPP/Avastin/BSA electrodes were used for the detection of VEGF by cyclic voltammetry and amperometry. The optical properties of ZnPP were analyzed with an ultraviolet/visible/near-infrared spectrometer and a photoluminescence spectrometer. The structural and hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties of the ZnPP-modified gold electrodes were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and contact angle gauge, respectively. VEGF was detected with the Au/ZnPP/Avastin/BSA electrodes prepared either with (w/LT) or without light treatment (w/o LT). The w/LT electrode showed a linear range and a sensitivity of 0.1 pg/mL–10 ng/mL and 6.52 μA/log(pg/mL)-cm2, respectively; the corresponding values for the w/o LT electrode were 10 pg/mL–10 ng/mL and 3.15 μA/log(pg/mL)-cm2, respectively. The w/LT electrode had good specificity for VEGF and was minimally influenced by other molecules. The excellent detection range, high sensitivity, and high selectivity for VEGF detection indicate that Au/ZnPP/Avastin electrodes have great potential for diagnostic and prognostic applications in patients with malignancies.


Background: Hyperpigmentation causes various impacts such as lack of confidence and decreased productivity. The gold standard of hyperpigmentation treatment is using 4% hydroquinone that leads to ochronosis, a blue black discoloration in the skin. Thus, it is necessary to find a solution to suppress this side effect. Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) has high ascorbic acid levels, ellagic acid and tanin, which act as an antihyperpigmentation agent. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Kakadu plum extract cream on male guinea pig's skin exposed to UV-B, related to its role as an antihyperpigmentation agent. Method: This research was an experimental study with a randomized post-test only control group design. This study used 36 healthy male guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus), local strain, three months old, 300-350 grams in weight. The sample was divided into two groups randomly. The control group was given a placebo cream, and the treatment group was given 0.1% Kakadu cream every day, 20 minutes before and 4 hours after UV-B radiation with radiation of 65 mJ/cm2 6 times for two weeks. Tyrosinase expression was measured using the Tyrosinase Examination Kit with the immunohistochemistry staining method. The amount of melanin was calculated using a histopathological method with Masson-Fontana staining. Results: The results showed that the mean tyrosinase expression in the treatment group was significantly lower than the control group (36.19±4.60% vs. 14.99±2.30%; p<0.001). The mean amount of melanin in the treatment group was also significantly lower than the control group (25.93±4.52% vs. 4.40±2.50%; p<0.001). Conclusion: Based on this study's results, it can be concluded that kakadu extract (Terminalia ferdinandiana) cream prevented the increase of tyrosinase expression and melanin amount on ultraviolet B exposed male guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) skin.


Introduction The mental health of the population has been affected by COVID-19, reporting in many populations higher levels of depressive, anxious and stress symptoms, however, in Honduras there are no studies showing the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of the population. Aim To determine the factors associated with hopelessness, depression and anxiety in times of COVID-19 in the Honduran population. Methods Cross-sectional analytical study. Three scales were used, Beck for hopelessness, Hamilton for depression and anxiety, through interviews with the population attending different levels of health care throughout the country. Descriptive and analytical statistics were obtained. For hopelessness, the Beck Hopelessness Scale was used; for depression and anxiety, the Hamilton Scale was used. Results Of the 8,125 participants, the population in general showed results of hopelessness 14.9%, depression 12.9% and anxiety 1.2%, there was less hopelessness among women (p = 0.004), university students (p < 0.001), but greater among those who had a family member deceased by COVID-19 (p < 0.001), among those who had diabetes mellitus (DM) (p < 0.001), history of mental illness (p < 0.001) or had consumed drugs in the last 6 months (p < 0.001). There was more depression among those with arterial hypertension (p = 0.002), obesity (p = 0.019), DM (p = 0.004), history of mental illness (p < 0.001) or had consumed drugs in the last 6 months (p < 0.001). There was more anxiety among those infected with COVID-19 (p = 0.023), according to having a family member deceased by COVID-19 (p = 0.045) and in those with a history of mental illness (p < 0.001). Discussion The Honduran population presented important differences in the socio-pathological, according to the loss of family members or having previous illnesses, this according to the presentation of problems in the mental sphere. Conclusion We found factors associated with hopelessness, we found factors associated with hopelessness, depression and anxiety in times of COVID-19 in the Honduran population.