This article extends the characteristics-based choice framework of technology adoption to account for decisions taken by boundedly-rational individuals in environments where traits are not fully observed. It is applied to an agricultural setting and introduces the concept of ambiguity in the agricultural technology adoption literature by relaxing strict informational and cognition related assumptions that are implied by traditional Bayesian analysis. The main results confirm that ambiguity increases as local conditions become less homogeneous and as computational ability, own experience and nearby adoption rates decrease. Measurement biases associated with full rationality assumptions are found to increase when decision makers have low computational ability, low experience and when their farming conditions differ widely from average adopter ones. A complementary empirical paper (Useche 2006) finds that models assuming low confidence in observed data, ambiguity and pessimistic expectations about traits predict sample shares better than models which assume that farmers do not face ambiguity or are optimistic about the traits of new varieties.


This article deals with some of the theoretical and methodological problems that arise when working with a bilingual comparable (i.e., non-parallel) journalistic corpus of financial news that is relatively large (9 million words). The corpus under study comprises two sets of texts drawn from Canadian French and English newspapers in the years between the Tech Wreck of 2001 and the financial crisis of 2007−2008. Following Davier (2015) who advocates for a broadened definition of news translation that includes intralingual activity, the authors make a case for the study of intralingual translation, or rewording, which is a fundamental feature of financial news, as journalists work to popularize specialized knowledge for lay audiences. The methodological challenges of surveying interlingual translation in a sizeable corpus of financial news are discussed in relation with the production of news in Canada. A pilot study using the lexical item "subprime" and its French equivalents illustrates how interlingual a...


Proactive Learning is a generalized form of active learning with multiple oracles exhibiting different reliabilities (label noise) and costs. We propose a general approach for Proactive Learning that explicitly addresses the cost vs. reliability tradeoff for oracle and instance selection. We formulate the problem in the PAC learning framework with bounded noise, and transform it into realizable active learning via a reduction technique, while keeping the overall query cost small. We propose two types of sequential hypothesis tests (denoted as SeqHT) that estimate the label of a given query from the noisy replies of different oracles with varying reliabilities and costs. We prove correctness and derive cost complexity of the proposed algorithms. This research is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation.


It is argued that learners' metacognitive awareness of strategy use is significantly associated with their achievement in reading comprehension. In order to ascertain this association, the present researcher carries out the investigation to substantiate the existing findings. This current study is a partial replication of Carrell (1989) and Vogely (1995) with regard to their methods and objectives. The objectives of this research are to explore the higher secondary-level EFL learners' perceptions of themselves as readers, of their use of comprehension and repair strategies, of difficulties as well as the effectiveness of reading strategies, and its relationship with their reading comprehension, if any. For this investigation, quantitative data collected from 148 higher secondary-level EFL learners via a modified Metacognitive Awareness Strategy Questionnaire (MASQ; Carrell, 1989) and a reading comprehension test were analyzed through statistical tools available in SPSS. The results reveal that learners possess a moderate awareness of reading strategies, and their perceptions of effective strategies and of the difficulty of strategy use are significantly and positively related to their reading comprehension. Based on the findings, pedagogical implications are discussed and scope for future studies is recommended.


"Unprecedented" is a dirty word--at least in the context of constitutional politics. The claim that some behavior is unprecedented carries with it a distinct whiff of impermissibility: if it's never been done before, then at the very least the burden is on those who would want to do it to show that it is permissible. (1) A thumb is very firmly placed on the scale against constitutional novelty. The claim that some activity is constitutionally novel is therefore a politically potent one. Of course, to call one act a "precedent" for another is not to state a fact about the relationship between them but rather to engage in a creative act of interpretation. Precedential relationships are made, not found, (2) and therefore charges of unprecedentedness represent a political judgment--but one that comes in the guise of a discovery of a fact about the world. In recent years, perhaps nowhere has unprecedented behavior been "discovered" with more abandon than in the context of judicial appointments. Part I of this Essay describes recent events in this domain, beginning in the George W. Bush Administration and culminating with the 2017 elimination of the filibuster for all nominees. In particular, it focuses on the discourse surrounding these reforms, noting that at every turn, accusations of "unprecedented" behavior have flown in all directions and have served as justifications for countermeasures, which are in turn characterized as unprecedented. Part II then reconstructs two pasts--two precedential pathways--for recent * rofessor of Law, Cornell Law School. I am grateful to Will Baude, Mike Dorf, Joey Fishkin, Randy Kozel, Marin Levy, David Pozen, Aziz Rana, Catherine Roach, and Justin Zaremby for helpful and thought-provoking comments on earlier drafts. The research and writing of this Essay were funded in part by a gift from the Charles Adelman Fund at Cornell Law School. I gratefully acknowledge the generosity of Charles Adelman and the support his gift provides to legal scholarship. Any remaining errors or infelicities are, of course, my own. events, one drawing on the history of legislative obstruction and the other on the history of confirmation politics. The purpose of these historical narratives is not to adjudicate particular claims of unprecedentedness but rather to highlight the ways in which any claim of (un)precedentedness involves particular, contestable constructions of the past. The Essay concludes with some thoughts about why we might prefer some avail-able pasts to others. I. The Present By the middle of 2004, Republicans were furious. Three years into George W. Bush's presidency, they were having at best very limited success in stocking the federal courts, and especially the circuit courts, with their preferred personnel. Democrats had held the Senate majority for most of the 107th Congress (2001-2003), (3) and they had used their power to good effect, confirming only 52% of Bush's (4) nominees to the courts of appeals. (5) But Republicans retook the Senate in the 2002 midterms and clearly expected the pace of appointments to pick up. Orrin Hatch, who became chair of the Judiciary Committee, announced that he would dial down the deference traditionally given to home-state senators, holding hearings and votes even for nominees opposed by both home-state senators. (6) Of the seven appeals-court nominees in that Congress who did not have the approvals of both home-state senators, five were voted out of committee. (7) Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, solemnly intoned that this move would "be long remembered in the annals of the Senate and of our committee for the precedent set by [holding a hearing on a nominee over the objection of both home-state senators], for the hubris behind it and for the brazenness of the double standard it sets" (8) Majority Leader Bill Frist was unmoved; when the nominees came to the floor, he declined to honor hold requests on them. …


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of Huangqi decoction on renal interstitial fibrosis and its association with the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) / mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway.

METHODS
120 C57/BL mice were randomly divided into six groups: sham group, Enalapril (20 mg/kg) group, 5/6 nephrectomy model group, and 5/6 nephrectomy model plus Huangqicoction (0.12, 0.36 and 1.08 g/kg respectively) groups. Detecting 24hours urinary protein, blood pressure, serum creatinine, urea nitrogen content changes. Periodic Acid-Schiff stain (PAS) and Masson's trichrome staining was used to observe the renal tissue pathological changes. Protein expression of TGF-β1, Phosphorylated P38 mitogen activated protein kinases (P-P38), Phosphorylated c-jun N-terminal kinase (P-JNK), Phosphorylated extracellular regulated proteinhnase (P-ERK), Fibroblast-specific protein-1 (FSP-1), Alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), Type III collagen (Collagen III), Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), Bcl-2 Assaciated X protein (Bax) and B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) were measured with western blot and immunohistochemical.

RESULTS
Both Huangqi decoction and Enalapril improved the kidney function, 24 h urinary protein and the fibrosis in 5/6 nephrectomy mice, Huangqi decoction downregulated the expressions of TGF-β1, FSP-1, α-SMA, Collagen III and CTGF in a dose-dependent manner, and it has a significant difference ( 0.01) compared with model group.Huangqi decoction downregulated the expressions of P-P38, P-JNK, P-ERK and Bcl-2 in a dose-dependent manner, while upregulated the expression of Bax.

CONCLUSIONS
The protective effect of Huangqi decoction for renal interstitial fibrosis in 5/6 nep-hrectomized mice the inhibition of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transitions and downregulating the TGF-β1/ MAPK signaling pathway.


Medical image databases are a key component in future diagnosis and preventive medicine. Automatic clustering of medical images plays an important role for structuring of a given medical database as well as for searching and retrieval of biomedical images. This paper introduces a new approach for efficient clustering of x-ray images based on various levels of image features. Initially, for each given x-ray image, features have been extracted from three different levels, namely, global, local and pixel. Finally, a new approach, a combination of k-means and hierarchical clustering techniques, has been applied in order to cluster x-ray images. The experimental results are also presented at the end of this paper.


In this work we have considered the Taylor series expansion of the dynamic scaling relation of the magnetization with respect to small initial magnetization values in order to study the dynamic scaling behavior of two- and three-dimensional Ising models. We have used the literature values of the critical exponents and of the new dynamic exponent x0 to observe the dynamic finite-size scaling behavior of the time evolution of the magnetization during early stages of the Monte Carlo simulation. For the three-dimensional Ising model we have also presented that this method opens the possibility of calculating z and x0 separately. Our results show good agreement with the literature values. Measurements done on lattices with different sizes seem to give very good scaling.


ABSTRACT:Jorge Guillén interrupted his exile to visit Spain in the 1960s and 1970s before returning for good in 1977. This article examines the effects on his poetry of his progressive return to Spain. In Y otros poemas (1973) and Final (1981) Guillén rethinks his place and that of his works in Spanish reality and history. He insists on remembering the effects of the Civil War, brings attention to his exile poetry, and highlights the role of the reader in the survival of his work. In order to understand Y otros poemas and Final, it is key to connect them to the ethical awakening that exile provoked in his writing. The analysis of his acknowledgment of the relational dimension of poetry during his exile reveals that his return, far from becoming a break from his previous work, meant a conscious reiteration of the lessons that he had learned outside of Spain.


Since 2018, a new terminology has been developed, called Algor-ethics, indicating the necessity for a dedicated study concerning the evaluation of an ethics applied to technology, to Algorithms and to Artificial Intelligence (AI). At the same time, since 1987, when the concept of sustainability was introduced, the discussion on this issue has become increasingly lively and has now spread to every area of life. In this paper, we would like to propose an application of the concept of sustainability to technological processes and in particular to the elaboration of AI systems. To reach this goal we will first try to build an ethical framework, here called Dynamical Techno-Algor-Ethical Composition, to define the interaction between the most important ethical ingredients involving the human person in relation to technology, taking a person-centered approach. Out of this will emerge a possible structure and definition of Technological Sustainability. The second step will consist of evaluating the process for the elaboration of an AI algorithm as a concrete application of the previously analyzed framework, to set ethical contents composing what we might call a good and sustainable algorithm.


Ridge v. Baldwin is a landmark authority and has altered the settled position in England, India as well as other nations. It is thus regarded as the Magna Carta of Principles of Natural Justice as it has widened their scope manifold. It thus becomes significant to consider the analysis of this case and comprehend the settled position. It is certainly regarded as one of the most significant judgements when it comes to changing dynamics of Constitutional Interpretation. The paper has attempted to comprehend the principles of natural justice in brief and their historical inception along with the discussion on International Conventions. The position in India has been considered at length along with various landmark cases to substantiate the points post discussion of their historical evolution in India. The significance of the instant case has been discussed post which the case has been analysed. Post analysis of the case, the present position in India has been discussed to comprehend the significance of this case. An in-depth analysis of the above-mentioned theme has been presented along with an organisational conclusion of the subject matter. The case analysis has sought to resort to different reliable sources, both online and offline, inclusive of different online reports, surveys, statistics, studies, books and articles inter alia for the purpose of research, analysis, interpretation and execution of the subject matter and ensures maximum creativity, research work, and personal ideas in the same.


Purpose :Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia is rarely found in children under 3 years old. Nevertheless, infants have been recently and frequently diagnosed with M. pneumoniae pneumonia. Therefore, the clinical characteristics of such children were investigated in this study. Methods:Subjects were 232 infants (group A: 0 to 11 months, group B: 12 to 23 months, group C: 24 to 35 months) who were diagnosed between January 2004 and December 2009 with M. pneumoniae pneumonia infection at Myongji Hospital. We reviewed their medical records, the early and monthly incidence of infection, clinical manifestations, and laboratory findings. Results :Group A consisted of 28 patients (12.1%), group B 78 (33.6%), and group C 126 (54.3 %). The younger patient group in the peak season, 2006, demonstrated a high incidence rate. Wheezing was more often auscultated in group A than in the other groups. Negative findings on chest X-rays were more often observed in group A. Serologically, high titers of mycoplasma-specific antibody (>1:1,280) were observed in lobar pneumonia and correlated with the severity of clinical manifestations. Conclusion :The age at which M. pneumoniae infection has been diagnosed has recently decreased and has been found with a particularly high frequency in infants. Despite shorter fever duration before hospitalization and uncertain radiological findings, including M. pneumoniae in the differential diagnosis of pneumonia is recommended for children under 1 year. [Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis(Korea) 2011;21:91-98]


Genetic variability is an important causative factor for susceptibility and pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Histone deacetylase, sirtuin 2 (SIRT2), plays regulatory roles in glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. However, whether the SIRT2 variants or haplotypes contribute to T2D risk remain to be elucidated. In this study, we first detected three novel polymorphisms (P-MU1, P-MU2, and P-MU3) in the promoter of SIRT2 in the Chinese population. All pairwise sets of the three loci were strongly in linkage disequilibrium. Next, we constructed the haplotype block structure, and found H1-GGC and H2-CCA accounted for the most (total 91.8%) in T2D. The haplotype combination H1-H1-GGGGCC displayed a high risk for T2D (OR = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.12–3.72). By association analysis, we found the individuals carrying H1-H1-GGGGCC had significantly higher fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin. The haplotype H1-GGC presented a 6.74-fold higher promoter activity than H2-CCA, which was consistent with the correlation results. Furthermore, we clarified the mechanism whereby the C allele of both the P-MU1 and P-MU2 loci disrupted the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) binding sites, leading to the attenuation of the SIRT2 transcription. Together, these data suggest that the linked haplotype GGC could be considered as a promising marker for T2D diagnosis and therapy assessment.


Exotic stochastic processes are shown to emerge in the quantum evolution of complex systems Using in uence func tion techniques we consider the dynamics of a system coupled to a chaotic subsystem described through random matrix the ory We nd that the reduced density matrix can display dy namics given by L evy stable laws The classical limit of these dynamics can be related to fractional kinetic equations In particular we derive a fractional extension of Kramers equa tion


We consider supersymmetric QCD in the free magnetic phase with massless and massive flavors. The theory has a supersymmetry breaking pseudo-moduli space of vacua and a runaway behavior far away from the origin. A two-loop computation reveals that the origin is destabilized and there is no meta-stable SUSY breaking solution. We also study the embedding of this model in type IIA string theory and find evidence for similar behavior. The perturbative brane dynamics involves simple interactions between branes, correctly predicting the two-loop result in the gauge theory. Our results also apply to the case when all the flavors are massive but have hierarchy among them, leading to possible instability which is manifest both in field theory and the brane description.


Abstract. We introduce a workflow integrating geological modelling
uncertainty information to constrain gravity inversions. We test and apply
this approach to the Yerrida Basin (Western Australia), where we focus on
prospective greenstone belts beneath sedimentary cover. Geological
uncertainty information is extracted from the results of a probabilistic
geological modelling process using geological field data and their inferred
accuracy as inputs. The uncertainty information is utilized to locally
adjust the weights of a minimum-structure gradient-based regularization
function constraining geophysical inversion. Our results demonstrate that
this technique allows geophysical inversion to update the model
preferentially in geologically less certain areas. It also indicates that
inverted models are consistent with both the probabilistic geological model
and geophysical data of the area, reducing interpretation uncertainty. The
interpretation of inverted models reveals that the recovered greenstone
belts may be shallower and thinner than previously thought.


A simple practical and controllable beam expander can be constructed from a single-mode optical fibre which has been overjacketed in a capillary of lower refractive index and then tapered. The properties of such an expanded beam in a gap device are also investigated.


Rituximab (chimeric anti-CD20 mAb) has been used for the treatment of Non Hodgkin B cell lymphomas (B-NHL), alone or in combination with CHOP. However, a subset of patients does not respond to treatment or develops refractoriness to further treatments. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new alternatives to treat these patients. We have reported that treatment of B-NHL cell lines with rituximab inhibits anti-apoptotic survival pathways and down regulates the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins (i.e. Bcl-2/Bcl-xl) resulting in sensitization to chemotherapeutic drugs. Further, rituximab-resistant clones showed over-expression of anti-apoptotic gene products (Jazirehi et al., Cancer Research1:1270–81, 2007). Therefore, we hypothesize that inhibitors of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family may reverse the resistance to apoptotic stimuli. We examined chemical inhibitors that mimic natural ligands of the anti-apoptotic BH3-only proteins. GX15–070 (Gemin X Biotechnologies, Inc., Canada) inhibits Bcl-2 protein-protein interactions resulting in Bak and Bax oligomerization, release of cytochrome C, and activation of caspases (Shore and Viallet, Hematology, 2005; ASH, 226–230). Treatment of B-NHL cell lines (Raji, Ramos, 2F7, DHL-4) with subtoxic concentrations of GX15–070 (20–50 uM) resulted in inhibition of cell proliferation and subsequently induction of apoptosis as determined by TUNEL. There was a time and concentration-dependent effect of GX15–070 on cytostasis and apoptosis. Analysis of cells treated with GX15–070 by western blotting revealed that Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and Mcl-1 protein expressions were significantly inhibited as compared to controls. The protein inhibition by GX15–070 was not expected and needs further investigation. We also examined the effect of combination treatment of GX15–070 with the chemotherapeutic drug CDDP and there was an additive or synergistic cytotoxic effect. Treatment of rituximab-resistant clones (generated from 2F7, Raji and Ramos) treated with GX15–070 resulted in significant inhibition of cell growth and apoptosis. The cytotoxicity of GX15–070 in the B-NHL cell lines was tumor specific, because treatment of human peripheral blood leukocytes from different donors did not show any cytotoxic effect. Likewise, treatment of nude mice with different concentrations of GX15–070 did not show any detectable toxicity. These findings demonstrate that GX15–070 is cytotoxic to various drug/rituximab-resistant B-NHL cell lines and is not toxic to normal human leukocytes. This study suggests that combination of GX15–070 with subtoxic concentrations of chemotherapeutic drugs may have additive/synergistic effects. The present findings support the potential therapeutic application of GX15–070 in the treatment of patients with B-NHL that are resistant to current therapies.


We examined participation in an ethnically based residential program or ''theme house'' during the first year of college as a predictor of downstream immune system inflammation among undergraduates. Using a 4-year prospective design, we compared markers of inflammation among Latino/Latina students in a residential theme program with a matched sample of nonresidents. Students provided oral mucosal transudate samples for the assessment of circulating Interleukin 6 (IL-6), an inflammatory cytokine linked to health vulnerabilities. Findings suggest a protective benefit of theme house residency especially among students with anxious expectations of discrimination. Such expectations predicted higher levels of IL-6 after the first year of college among nonresidents only. In years 2–3, following exit from the theme house, the relationship between expected discrimination and IL-6 levels remained positive among nonresidents and was attenuated among residents, controlling for past IL-6 levels. Culturally based spaces may therefore offset the physiological burden of expected discrimination among undergraduates.


In contrast to Langerhans cells, which make interleukin (IL)-12, differentiated macrophages that infiltrate the epidermis 72 h after ultraviolet B (UV) irradiation potently produce IL-10 mRNA and secrete IL-10 protein. We asked whether differentiated UV macrophages in the epidermis acquired their activated, IL-10hi status as a result of entering the epidermis or as a result of encountering UV-induced changes in the dermal microenvironment. In this study, sequential section immunostaining directly showed dynamic and reciprocal changes of infiltrating CD11b+ macrophages and CD1a+ Langerhans cell loss in human epidermis and dermis after in vivo UV exposure in relation to the microanatomic localization of newly appearing dermal cells that stain for IL-10 mRNA by in situ hybridization. Using quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on purified dermal cell subsets, the first significant rise in IL-10 mRNA occurred 6 h after UV in the dermal CD11b+ (CD1-, 3-, 24-, 56-) monocytic/macrophagic population. Significant induction of IL-10 mRNA 24 h post-UV was limited to the CD11b+ CD1- subset (p = 0.006). The fold increase of IL-10 mRNA relative to 0 h by the CD11b+ dermal monocytic/macrophagic population peaked at 24-48 h and tapered thereafter. Intense IL-10 production by macrophages in the epidermis appeared to follow dermal changes, with maximum production at 72 h, indicating migration/activation of this population from the dermis, and the remainder of dermal cells, depleted of monocyte/macrophages and Langerhans cell-like antigen-presenting cells, showed no increase in IL-10 at any time point post-UV. IL-10 protein-producing CD11b+ macrophages in the dermis were also documented by flow cytometry. IL-12 mRNA was differentially regulated from IL-10 after UV, in that IL-12 was consistently downregulated in the CD11b+ monocytic/macrophagic population (p < 0.0002). Taken together, monocytic/macrophagic cells with high IL-10 and low IL-12 expression initially appear in the dermis as early as 6 h, and then appear in the epidermis, implicating the dermis as the primary site of activation/signaling for IL-10 upregulation in cutaneous antigen-presenting cells.


We report on the utilization of the two-photon induced free carrier generation in a diamond pin-type photodiode to record fringe-resolved second-order autocorrelations of femtosecond pulses in the UV. Measurements in photovoltaic mode are performed at the second and third harmonic of a Ti:sapphire laser (lambda(0)=401 nm and lambda(0)=265 nm) with pulse energies down to about 2 nJ. The band gap of diamond of 5.5 eV sets a short wavelength limit at about 225 nm. Combined with the simultaneously recorded linear autocorrelation the spectral phase is reconstructed employing an iterative algorithm.


Cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is now the most frequent indication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Recurrence of hepatitis C infection is the major cause of late mortality in patients undergoing OLT for hepatitis C cirrhosis. Recurrent HCV infection develops in 100% of patients HCV + in pre-transplantation time. Histological recurrence occurs in 75-80% of patients after OLT:1/3 of them progress to allograft cirrhosis within 5-7 years. Cholestatic hepatitis C develops in a sub-group of patients who progresses rapidly to graft failure. As a result of this accelerated course of HCV infection, long-term graft and patient survival are significantly reduced in patients undergoing OLT for HCV-related cirrhosis compared with other groups. Moreover, several recurrence's risk factors have been described as predictors of disease severity including those related to the virus, the host, the donor. There are numerous therapeutic strategies to prevent and to treat HCV disease recurrence after OLT. The most common strategy to treat HCV infection post-OLT is based on interferons and ribavirin. Even if clinical trials have shown that the combination of ribavirin with Peg-interferons is more effective than its association with standard interferons, the use of Peg-interferons in transplanted patients is limited by the side-effects of the drug. About treatment of hepatitis C virus infection in the allograft dark and not still cleared points are a lot: the timing and the target of therapy, the dose and duration of pharmacological treatment.


"Whatever branch of biological science we make the subject of our study, the more deeply we enter into it, the more do we realize that classification, which is the goal and outcome of our knowledge—so far as it concerns the knowledge in itself—is not the sorting of data into sharply defined departments; such departments do not exist. Rather, it is the arrangement of our data in progressive order in such a way that we most satisfactorily gain a comprehension of their relationships and the place they occupy in one harmonious scheme. The classes of living objects and of vital phenomena are not distinct; classes as such have no absolute existence; they pass imperceptibly one into the other by many transitional forms. While this is so, classification is nevertheless necessary …. Nowhere do these considerations gain a better illustration than in this study of the different forms of neoplasms."— Adami.

This paper is a study of a group of clearly benign tumors of the breast, called by many names but previously classified in this laboratory under three headings, fibro-adenoma, intracanalicular myxoma, and cystic adenoma. It has for its basis the case histories and pathological material accumulated during the past forty-two years, and was begun with the intent of presenting the various histological appearances encountered in these groups of tumors with the correlated clinical findings.


Here is a fully annotated translation of an Armenian literary classic, the first made from the critical Armenian text. The sixth-century History of Vardan and the Armenian War describes a revolt of Armenians against the shah of Sasanian Iran in 450-451 in protest against the persecution of Christianity. Elish uses this occasion to express in more general terms his attitude as a Christian Armenian to the problems of cultural survival and patriotism in a hostile environment. His history profoundly influenced Armenian writers from classical times to the present; its hero, Vardan, remains the ideal figure of a patriot even in Soviet Armenia. Mr. Thomson's introduction places the work in its historical context, while extensive notes identify people and places, explain allusions, and clarify details of the account.


This article makes the case for the provision of access to assisted death in prisons, founded on the right to self-determination under Article 8(1) ECHR, in order to create equivalence between prisoners and non-prisoners. It considers possible State justifications for interferences with the right under Article 8(2) and whether they would meet the Convention standards of legality and proportionality. In relation to proportionality, it is argued that the foundational basis for restrictions on assisted dying imposed on both the general and prison populations derives from the concept of human dignity, a concept which is also fundamental to prisoners' rights. Under the banner of proportionality, from an initial presumption of equivalence of access to assisted dying, the article identifies certain conditions inherent in the prison situation that inevitably oppose human dignity and which provide a plausible basis for divergence. Ultimately, it is concluded that an absolute bar on provision of access to assisted dying in prisons cannot be justified, but that the factors that undermine dignity in prison could justify a degree of divergence from creation of equivalence between the prison and the non-prison populations in terms of such access.


With the rise of Halal Lifestyle in the digital era, Islamic Financial Technology (henceforth FinTech) has increasingly become impactful to economic growth. Islamic FinTech companies are in a dire need to figure out factors that influence the adoption and acceptance of the technology to promote their business. Addressing the issue, this study examines consumers' intention of using Islamic Fintech services. An online survey was employed to elicit the required data from 75 Indonesian consumers of Islamic FinTech services. The results of data analysis by means of SEM-PLS depicted that perceived usefulness and interpersonal influence were two key factors driving the consumers to use Islamic FinTech services. The results further revealed that compatibility positively influenced perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, which in turn, affected the consumers' attitude. Moreover, it was also noted that attitude and internet self-efficacy as perceived behavioral control in decomposition of theory of planned behavior had no significant impact on consumers' intention. The results of this study theoretically provide a basic model of consumers' intention in the context of Islamic FinTech. At the same time, FinTech industry users can use the results of the present study as references to come up with appropriate strategy to deal with the market needs.


6066 Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a diffuse inflammatory disease of the colorectum, which is often accompanied by the development of colon cancer from dysplastic precursor lesions. Development and progression of UC-associated colorectal cancer (CRC) involves multiple genetic alterations that appear to be different from those of sporadic cancer. Aberrations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and K-ras genes, hallmarks of sporadic colon cancer, are less frequently found in neoplasms arising in a background of inflammation. Mutation of β-catenin, a key component of both Wnt signaling and cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion, is rare while nuclear translocation of β-catenin is observed frequently in both sporadic and UC-associated colorectal neoplasms. Previous studies by this group have demonstrated that administration of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to Swiss Webster mice in combination with azoxymethane (AOM) results in the induction of flat and polypoid colonic dysplasias and cancers similar, both clinically and histopathologically, to those seen in UC patients. Based upon the observed ability of select chemopreventive agents to preferentially inhibit flat or polypoid lesions in this model, the present study was initiated to characterize and compare the molecular events that accompany the development of flat and polypoid dysplasias in the AOM/DSS model. Polypoid (N=28) and flat (N=21) lesions with high grade dysplasia were laser capture microdissected (PixCell II, Arcturus) to obtain a pure population of dysplastic colonic epithelial cells and DNA was isolated for mutational analysis. Neither mutation of K-ras nor p53 was detected in flat or polypoid precursor lesions by pyrosequencing or direct sequence analysis, respectively. The same colonic lesions were negative for p53 expression as assessed by immunohistochemistry. Although sequence analysis of the full-length β-catenin gene failed to reveal mutations in any of the lesions, nuclear translocation of β-catenin was observed in 100% of the polypoid and 92% of the flat dysplasias; a common feature of human UC-associated colonic dysplasias. Loss of heterozygosity of the APC gene was not detected. No significant difference in the mutational status of p53, K-ras or β-catenin was observed in flat and polypoid dysplasias. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of CRC in the setting of chronic inflammation is required before surveillance programs that are currently failing to accurately detect UC-related dysplasias/cancers can be optimized and efficacious chemopreventive regimens can be established for UC patients at high risk for colorectal cancer. (Supported by a grant from the AHEPA Cancer Research Foundation, Inc.)


Poetry is action. China is a country with poetry. It completes the general construction of Chinese thinking. Further studies have found that "the internal structure of poetry" also exists in "Daodejing" and "Das Kapital". This conspiracy represents a powerful example of the basic status of thinking in methodology. It can be seen that Dao, Xiang and Zhi, as a description of the common structure, have achieved the organic unity of thinking, logic and epistemology from the perspective of the reduction of disciplinary work. This guides the dialogues between Chinese and Western classics across time and space. It shows that in the local construction of Chinese economics, we need to adhere to the academic construction work standard of "solving the West with China", and at the same time take into account the principle of "solving the West with China", and carry out the academic dialogue of the meaning of "mutual understanding between China and the West, and the integration of China and the West". In other words, "to understand the past, to understand the present, to connect the past and the present, and to communicate between China and foreign countries" must become the working "mental method" to guide the construction of China's native land and the dialogue between China and the West. However, the path of reconstruction of socialist scientific abstract law is locked in the docking of "law method" and "category method"; the methodological basis of "four self-confidence" is confirmed by combing the working connotation of socialist political and economic with Chinese characteristics based on "Das Kapital"; the "man's Ci Poetry" in Das Kapital enlightens the seamless connection between Marx's classic works and the ideal of the construction of Chinese political economics, and at the same time promotes the "cultural confidence" to the principle level of construction of Chinese academic discipline.


The mathematical model is described for the determination of primary selectivity of hydrocarbon pyrolysis, i.e., the determination of proportion of single components in the first generation of products of pyrolysis. The model stems from the radical reaction mechanism. It is assumed that the main influence on the product composition has the chain propagation involving the hydrogen atom transfer, isomerization and breaking the hydrocarbon radical. To determine the rate constants, the kinetic data published in the literature and the data on bond enthalpies in hydrocarbon molecules were employed. The simulation results were compared with the experimental data taken from the literature and with the results of measurements obtained in pyrolysis of two types of naphthas in a pilot-plant reactor.


Although Freud's merits may be readily acknowledged in the year of his 150th birthday, recent findings on repression-related phenomena cannot be accommodated by his classic conception, on which Erdelyi's theory is built. This point is illustrated by discussing the role of inhibitory processes. The unified theory of repression should be elaborated to generate falsifiable predictions on the reported phenomena.


To leverage the copious amount of data from source tasks and overcome the scarcity of the target task samples, representation learning based on multi-task pretraining has become a standard approach in many applications. However, up until now, most existing works design a source task selection strategy from a purely empirical perspective. Recently, \citet{chen2022active} gave the first active multi-task representation learning (A-MTRL) algorithm which adaptively samples from source tasks and can provably reduce the total sample complexity using the L2-regularized-target-source-relevance parameter $\nu^2$. But their work is theoretically suboptimal in terms of total source sample complexity and is less practical in some real-world scenarios where sparse training source task selection is desired. In this paper, we address both issues. Specifically, we show the strict dominance of the L1-regularized-relevance-based ($\nu^1$-based) strategy by giving a lower bound for the $\nu^2$-based strategy. When $\nu^1$ is unknown, we propose a practical algorithm that uses the LASSO program to estimate $\nu^1$. Our algorithm successfully recovers the optimal result in the known case. In addition to our sample complexity results, we also characterize the potential of our $\nu^1$-based strategy in sample-cost-sensitive settings. Finally, we provide experiments on real-world computer vision datasets to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed method.


Background PALS is a student-initiated program at the UC Irvine School of Medicine that fosters relationships with pediatric patients and their families during the first 2 years of medical school. It provides insight into the patients9 perspective of the clinical experience and encourages empathy for future patient care. Hypothesis A mentorship relationship between medical students and pediatric patients is beneficial to the medical student and the special needs child and family. Methods Ten first-year medical students were selected to participate in the program based on their experience with children and commitment to community service. The pediatric patients chosen for PALS were initially screened and referred by the child life director. They ranged from 6 to 16 years of age, and illnesses consisted of hematologic, oncologic, renal, and neuromuscular disorders. Each medical student was paired with a pediatric patient as a mentor. Intermittently throughout the program, surveys were given to the medical student, pediatric patient, and family. The medical students are given a survey at the beginning and end of the program to assess their change and development due to the program. Students are also given a survey to complete at the end of their pediatric clerkship in their third year to reassess these attitudes. The patients and their families are given a survey to complete at the end of the 2-year program to assess the benefit the child received from the program. Results From the study (n = 8), medical students reported the following: 100% reported improved understanding of the effects on chronic illness, 100% reported a beneficial relationship with the child, 75% reported a greater interest in pediatrics, and 50% reported a positive relationship with the family. Patients and their families (n = 6) reported the following: 100% reported their child benefiting from the program, 67% reported positive changes in behavior attributed to PALS at UCI, 100% reported that they would recommend the PALS program to other families, and 100% reported that they would continue participation in PALS at UC Irvine. Conclusion Currently, medical students are introduced to the program at the beginning of the first year. Interested students are solicited to apply for the program. Approximately 15 medical students are accepted each year. PALS at UC Irvine is a 2-year program with 30 student/patient pairs. Overall, patients, their families and medical students report having a valuable experience as a part of their involvement with the PALS program.


Caroli's disease is characterized by uni- or bilobar cystic enlargement of the intrahepatic biliary tract. Clinical symptoms include recurrent cholangitis, right upper quadrant abdominal pain and jaundice. The diagnosis is usually established preoperatively based on abdominal ultrasound, computertomography and ERCP. Eight patients suffering from unilobar Caroli's disease underwent liver resection during a period of six years. The postoperative course was uneventful, and after a median follow-up of 39.6 months in one case only a temporary jaundice occurred. Liver resection is the method of choice for Caroli's syndrome when feasible. Apart from the curative intention liver resection represents also a prophylactic method since the risk of malignant transformation to cholangiocellular carcinoma in the cystic walls after draining procedures is considerably high. For diffuse spread of Caroli's disease in the liver orthotopic liver transplantation has emerged as therapeutic option.


Adult gains in body weight, excess adiposity, and intra-abdominal fat have each been associated with risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), forming the basis for preventive medicine guidelines and actuarial predictions using practical indices of weight (e.g., body mass index [BMI]) and waist circumference (WC). As obesity-related disease spreads beyond affluent western countries, application of WC thresholds to other populations has highlighted issues of their generalizability. For example, U.S. national health goals based on BMI < 25 kg/m2 and WC < 89 cm (women) and <102 cm (men) differ considerably with a recent law in Japan mandating intervention for older adults with WC exceeding 90 cm (women) and 85 cm (men). The U.S. military has also faced issues of generalizability of WC-based adiposity standards that are fair and achievable. Data from many studies indicate that WC is a reliable biomarker for T2DM risk, suggesting that, for adult men and women, action thresholds should be more stringent than current U.S. guidelines, and it would not be harmful to set worldwide targets somewhere below 90 cm for men and women, regardless of weight status. Medical technology has provided many great insights into disease, including modern imaging technologies that have differentiated fat depots that have the greatest influence on T2DM, but ultimately, an inexpensive measuring tape provides the most useful and cost-effective preventive measure for T2DM today. At some point in the future, a Star Trek-like abdominal body fat "tricorder" noninvasive assessment of tissue composition may provide an advantage over abdominal girth.


The correlations between concentrations of the adhesive circulating molecules cICAM-1 and cVCAM-1 in the peripheral blood of patients with relapses-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in different clinical phases and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity are presented. The patients in clinically active phase with Gd-enhancing lesions had elevated blood levels of cICAM-1. However, 5 patients without Gd-enhancing lesions exhibited elevated cICAM-1 and cVCAM-1 levels in active phase comparing to those in remission stage that indicate a high level of sensibility of these immunologic parameters.


Since Quincke's 1 report in 1882, repeated attempts have been made to establish a diagnosis of malignant disease from the character of the cells present in pleuritic or peritoneal exudates. Where bits of tissue are withdrawn by the exploring needle, such a diagnosis may sometimes be made with a fair degree of certainty just as it has been made in the case of tissue obtained in stomach washings, the urine, the feces, etc. The recognition of isolated cancer cells, on the other hand, is extremely uncertain; and in 1900 Widal and Rivaut, 2 after a study of the cells in 600 exudates, concluded that it is difficult to diagnose cancer from such cells, on account of their general resemblance to endothelial cells. In one of the cases to be reported, the presence of many mitotic figures rendered the diagnosis of malignancy almost certain, in the second case their appearance in small numbers


The physical and logical organization of most existing communication systems provides for additional options (transmission of known preambles, the presence of an additional synchronization channel) that simplify synchronization. At the same time, in the practical implementation of radio communication systems, it is necessary to solve the problems of developing additional synchronization mechanisms that can reduce the time it takes to synchronize to reduce energy consumption and increase channel capacity. Thus, the existing problem of the asynchrony of the generators of physically remote radio stations is relevant. One of the possible solutions is asynchronous signal reception with the direct sequence spread spectrum. It allows converting the original binary signal into a pseudo-random sequence for modulating the carrier. The current article is devoted to the characterization of this method and has the following items presented: the transmitter and receiver block diagram, sufficient to explain the proposed method; methods for compensating for effects arising from the asynchrony of the transmitter and receiver generators. Since synchronization is generated according to the correlation peaks that correspond to the data bits, it is possible to set the frequency of the chips on the transmitter to jitter artificially and supplement the pseudo-random sequence with several random chips, which complicates the unauthorized detection of the transmitted signal.


Unix's lack of a robust and expandable file system has become a significant problem with the growth of Unix in large commercial environments. The HAMFS (highly available multi-server file system) is a cluster file system designed to address this need. HAMFS offers disk-pooling, supports off-the-shelf disks, and automatically balances file load across disks dynamically. Data residing in a disk pool is directly accessible from every node in a HAMFS cluster. As user's capacity requirements grow, HAMFS provides easy disk pool expansion. Finally, HAMFS provides uniform scaling of file system performance from a single node configuration to large multi-node clusters, offering significant performance advantage over traditional file systems. For example, in short file access situations, HAMFS provide a factor of five performance improvement over NFS, and a factor of two improvement over conventional local file systems. Technologies developed for HAMFS are applied to Fujitsu's file system product SafeFILE.


An (AlGa)As/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor with a double-barrier resonant-tunnelling structure (DBRTS) inserted between the base and the collector has been investigated. Peaks due to resonant-tunnelling electrons have been observed in the device characteristics at 4.2 K. We have extracted the energy levels in the quantum well from the bias voltages for the peaks. The highest measured level corresponds to an energy greater than the barrier height.


Taking a falsificationist perspective, the present paper identifies two major shortcomings of existing approaches to comparative model evaluations in general and strategy classifications in particular. These are (1) failure to consider systematic error and (2) neglect of global model fit. Using adherence measures to evaluate competing models implicitly makes the unrealistic assumption that the error associated with the model predictions is entirely random. By means of simple schematic examples, we show that failure to discriminate between systematic and random error seriously undermines this approach to model evaluation. Second, approaches that treat random versus systematic error appropriately usually rely on relative model fit to infer which model or strategy most likely generated the data. However, the model comparatively yielding the best fit may still be invalid. We demonstrate that taking for granted the vital requirement that a model by itself should adequately describe the data can easily lead to flawed conclusions. Thus, prior to considering the relative discrepancy of competing models, it is necessary to assess their absolute fit and thus, again, attempt falsification. Finally, the scientific value of model fit is discussed from a broader perspective.


At the moment, there are several hypotheses in geophysics that explain especially dangerous processes of the earth's crust movements - sudden outbursts of rocks and gas from a rock mass from the point of view of classical physics. Despite the fact that various macroscopic systems can be accurately described using classical mechanics and electrodynamics, a real mechanism and a working model of this phenomenon cannot be built. Consequently, to develop a model of sudden outbursts of rocks and gas, it is necessary to apply new approaches and methods, different from the description of macroscopic systems. This article describes a quantum version of the process of the ejection of rocks from a rock mass. In particular, we described the mechanism of the Coulomb explosion that occurs in the rocks of the earth's crust with a sharp change in rock pressure and built a model of the sudden release of rocks and gases. In our opinion, the quantum processes described by us can be sources not only of sudden outbursts and rockslide but also sources of more formidable phenomena - earthquakes and volcanic explosions.


Currently, platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that is not driven by identifiable genetic events, such as sensitizing mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and translocations of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). Immune checkpoint inhibitors, which unleash a patient's own T cells to attack tumors, are revolutionizing the treatment paradigm of lung cancer. Anti-programmed death 1 (anti-PD-1) antibodies, pembrolizumab and nivolumab, and anti-programmed death ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1) antibody atezolizumab have shown a significantly longer survival and manageable safety profile, being approved as first or second-line treatment options in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Only the pembrolizumab approval is limited to the PD-L1-positive NSCLC; both nivolumab and atezolizumab can be currently used irrespective of tumor PD-L1 expression. Biomarkers for the response to PD-1/PD-LI checkpoint inhibitors beyond PD-L1 expression levels are being investigated in order to select patients who are most likely to benefit from antibodies targeting the PD-1 axis.


Current conventional hemodialysis (HD) is largely an industrialized process, with inadequate attention to the role that the dialysis treatment itself may play in the development and promulgation of uremic related disease states. HD is capable of exerting significant recurrent systemic circulatory stress. There is already an appreciation that this may be important in the development of cardiac disease, but it appears that this systemic insult is capable of resulting in perfusion‐dependent injury of a wide range of vulnerable vascular beds. These include gut, brain, and potentially the kidney. This predominantly hemodynamic injury can therefore result a mixed picture of direct perfusion‐related injury, local/systemic inflammation, and potentiation of further cycles of injury. This article aims to put forward a pathophysiological paradigm that places dialysis‐induced acute injury at the center of much of the observed disease burden in HD patients.


- Abstract - - Abstract - - Abstract - - Abstract - Background The regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation/dephosphorylation is an important mechanism in various intracellular metabolism. Also impaired insulin signal transduction is important in pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. It has been reported that PTP1B is a negative regulator of insulin action, and G iα2-protein is related to the regulation of PTP1B. Herein we investigated the long-term effects of ramipril on PTP1B/insulin signal protein interaction and the relation between G iα2 and PTP1B in animal model of type 2 diabetes (OLETF rat). Methods OLETF rats and age-matched LETO rats were divided into two groups. One group of rats received ramipril (10 mg/kg body weight) for 12 weeks, and another group did not. Finally, each group was divided into 2 subgroups, with or without insulin injection intravenously, before sacrifice. After sacrifice, tissues extracts of liver, hind limb muscle, and epididymal fat were obtained for quantification of PTP1B, Giα2, and several insulin signal proteins by western blotting. Results: In liver and muscle, the levels of basal PTP1B and activated PTP1B of OLETF rats treated with ramipril and insulin were significantly decreased. The levels of G iα2, activated IRS-2, and activated p-85 α were significantly increased in OLETF rats treated with ramipril and insulin. In adipose tissue, the levels of G iα2 and activated p-85 α of OLETF rats treated with ramipril and insulin were slightly increased as in liver and muscle. But, the levels of basal PTP1B and activated PTP1B were significantly increased. And, the levels of activated IRS-1 and activated IRS-2 were decreased. Conclusion: These results suggest that the improvement of insulin sensitivity by treatment with ramipril was related to the decreased level of activated PTP1B. Also, we could suggest that the changes of activated PTP1B level was related with the changes of G iα 2-protein. However, the results of adipose tissue were different from those of liver and muscle. So it seemed likely that there would be various major modulators for regulation of insulin signal pathway according to tissue (J Kor Diabetes Assoc 30:25~38, 2006).


This review concerns monoclinic zirconia, its surface sites and their probing with carbon monoxide. The modifications of the surface sites using thermal treatments with vacuum or reactive gases are also included. In this work, we present information on the nature and manipulation of hydroxyl species and their quantities on the surface, the different types of cationic sites where CO is adsorbed linearly and their energetics, as well as the surface sites and dynamics of formate formation. We also compare the surface concentrations of the different surface species to better understand the extent and nature of the interactions. Finally, we discuss some of the remaining open questions and how to approach them.


We propose a compact microbend sensor operating in the reflection mode for simultaneous measurement of a mechanical parameter and the temperature. The sensor is composed of a single-mode fiber lead, a multimode sensing fiber, and a single-mode fiber Bragg grating, where microbending is applied to the multimode fiber for mechanical parameter measurement and the grating provides an additional signal for temperature measurement. The sensor is demonstrated experimentally with two demodulation schemes based on a broad-band source and a tunable laser, respectively. The sensor extends the capacity of a conventional microbend sensor and offers many additional advantages, including higher stability, higher sensitivity, single-end access, and superior multiplexing capability.


Understanding land use patterns is becoming increasingly important for effective urban planning. Meanwhile, place embeddings, which are generated from human mobility data collected from mobile devices, have become a popular method to understand the functionality of places, and are essential for various downstream tasks including land use classification and mobility prediction. Place embeddings with high spatial resolution are desirable for land use classification, however, downscaling the spatial resolution could deteriorate the quality of embeddings due to data sparsity, especially in less populated areas. We address this issue by proposing a method that is able to generate fine grained place embeddings, by leveraging spatial hierarchical information according to the local density of observed data points. We demonstrate the practical value of the generated fine grained place embeddings to better understand land use, using real world trajectory data from 3 cities in Japan and comparing the proposed method with the baseline non-hierarchical method. Our technique of incorporating spatial hierarchical information can complement and reinforce various place embedding generation methods.


Immunology of the Gut, Ciba Symposium 46, is a welcome update of our current understanding of the role of gut-associated lymphoid tissue in health and disease. It succeeds admirably in documenting the fruitful interaction between clinical medicine and immunology in this field. The symposium is a series of papers presented by leaders in the field of gut immunology and despite multiple authorship, the volume as a whole is consistently clear, logical, and highly readable. Figures and tables are adequate in number and well-executed. The chapter bibliographies are appropriately detailed. As is often true, the discussion section following each paper contains some lively exchanges of views and involves the reader in the close scrutiny of the methods and conclusions offered in the preceding manuscript. Each discussion section has a bibliography as well which greatly facilitates locating specific references. One such which caught this reader's eye was a study of secretory IgA production in man induced by prolonged nasal selfimmunization with serum albumin of Alligator mississippiensis. The topics covered are representative of critical areas in gut immunology. Several papers are concerned with the secretory immunoglobulin system. The site of origin and the natural history of the IgA secreting plasma cell are presented, as recent experimental evidence has described them. The protective functions of secretory IgA and IgM against bacterial and dietary antigens are detailed, as are related clinical applications. The status of controversial elements of the gut immune response, such as IgE and eosinophils, are reviewed, indicating at least some functions these entities do not have in immune-mediated phenomena. The mechanism of gastrointestinal disease in immunodeficiency syndromes is the subject of a series of papers which offers some new concepts of pathogenesis and treatment. Finally, the immunopathologic characteristics of inflammatory bowel disease, alpha chain disease, and coeliac disease are discussed. A final discussion section highlights several other areas of interest, each of which ought perhaps to have been a major topic. The Symposium is an excellent review of recent work in gut immunology and is particularly well suited for interested clinicians and investigators in related areas.


The invention relates to a device and a method for repetitive nerve stimulation in order to break down fat tissue by means of inductive magnetic fields, which device and method permit easy patient-related adjustability and control in order to reduce fat tissue in defined body regions, such as the abdomen, buttocks, or thighs, in a targeted manner and without body contact. The invention uses the effect of the stimulation of muscle contractions by contactless induction of electric fields by means of pulsed magnetic fields in the tissue. By influencing the electric currents, pulsating magnetic fields are also able to stimulate ion transport and measurably increase metabolism. An increase in the circulation of the blood and increased oxygen supply are demonstrably achieved.


Pelvic endometriosis may completely obstruct the ureters and destroy the kidneys with little or no gynecologic symptoms. Five cases are discussed, all causing ureteral obstruction. Two patients suffered the complete loss of a kidney and in each case the remaining kidney was in jeopardy because of partial obstruction due to endometriosis. All these patients were treated by complete removal of all ovarian tissue, dissection of the ureter, and dissection of the scar tissue. In severe cases, retroperitoneal clamping of the infundibular pelvic ligament with clear exposure of the ureter is mandatory to avoid leaving small remnants of ovary in the infundibular ligament clamp. With complete removal of all ovarian tissue, postoperative estrogen therapy will not cause recurrence of the disease.


We propose a Common Open Policy Service (COPS) based architecture to manage Active Network Elements. We use the generic term Active Elements to refer to any active network component on a node, such as an Execution Environment (EE), an Active Application (AA) or any component of an EE or an AA. Our approach consists in the definition of a new client type, called COPS-ANEL- , for the COPS protocol to support the management of these active network elements. The client type supports both the Outsourcing and the Provisionning models of COPS to achieve admission control, configuration and monitoring of Active Elements. We define a set of policies for the two models to be applied when an event occurs on the Execution Environement and needs a response from the policy server. By using a COPS-based management, an active network provider can control and monitor active elements. Our clients have been plugged into the FLAME Execution Environment, an active networking platform developed in our research group.


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a commonly diagnosed cancer with high mortality rates.Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) world-wide. The molecular mechanisms of viral hepatocarcinogenesis are still partially understood. The immune response plays an important role in the progression of HCC. Immunotherapies are becoming an increasingly promising tool for treating cancers. Advancements in scRNA-seq (single-cell RNA sequencing) have allowed us to identify new subsets in the immune microenvironment of HCC. Yet, distribution of these new cell types and their potential prognostic value in bulk samples from large cohorts remained unclear. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing analysis to delineate the immune landscape and tumor heterogeneity in a cohort of patients with hepatitis viruses(HBV,HCV,HDV) associated human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).We also re-analyze the bulk RNA-seq data for the cohort to include the expression values of human Endogenous Retrovirus (hERV). And found correlations with hepatitis viruses status.


The geophysical limit of industrial energy production due to heat release, as it has been calculated by R. Doepel in 1973, is updated. The results are compared with IPCC projections to year 3000, which ignore this influence, but consider greenhouse gas emission that was disregarded by Doepel. As he claimed, energy production growth has to be terminated for sustainability.


Broadcasting multimedia content over a wireless channel from a base station to wireless devices is a challenging compromise between the limited battery power of wireless devices and the expected quality of the users. A further complication is that the data rate of a wireless channel changes over time. In this thesis, we develop a Power-Rate-Buffer-Distortion optimization framework with the goal of minimizing the energy consumption of a wireless receiver subject to quality and data rate constraints. Our framework provides a method for selecting coding parameters, such as bit rate and intra refresh rate, in a way that minimizes the energy consumption of the receiver. Our simulation results show that our framework can reduce energy consumption by up to 50% compared to the conventional AVC video streaming method, depending on the required video quality.


A meta-analysis, the application of statistical methods to findings from a large collection of individual studies, is reported for the literature assessing the effectiveness of psycholinguistic training using the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) as the criterion measure. The analysis establishes the efficacy of psycholinguistic training since the average child receiving psycholinguistic training performs better than 65% of untrained children. Additional data delineating results for ITPA subtests and various study characteristics support the primary finding. It was concluded that extant research, contrary to previous research reviews which were found to underestimate the positive effects of intervention, has demonstrated the effectiveness of psycholinguistic training.


This study is a two year follow-up of previous longitudinal research which investigated the effects of spinal cord injury (SCI) on perceptions of control, self-esteem and coping styles over the first year of SCI. Persons with SCI and a demographically matched able-bodied control group completed standardised questionnaires on four occasions over two years. The instruments included the Locus of Control of Behaviour Scale (LCB), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, and an adapted Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (MAC), which measures coping styles, including fighting spirit, helplessness/hopelessness and fatalism. Results obtained in the first year were replicated in the two year data, except for the LCB Scale. After one year, the SCI group were found to perceive their life to be externally controlled, to be lower in self-esteem, and have more helpless/hopeless and fatalistic attitudes than the controls. There were no differences in self esteem and coping styles after two years for the SCI group. However, locus of control fluctuated over the two years, though there was a trend for the SCI group to be more externally focussed. There were no significant interactions between group and time. Implications for the adjustment of SCI persons are discussed.


Dysgonic fermenter 2 (DF-2) is a slow-growing gram-negative bacillus causing a zoonotic infection that is acquired through dog bites or other contact with dogs. Splenectomized patients and those with alcoholic liver disease are most susceptible to DF-2 infection. The clinical picture can be one of fulminant septicemia and disseminated intravascular coagulation in the splenectomized patient; the presentation is milder in the alcoholic patient. The overall mortality from DF-2 septicemia among the 41 cases reported in the literature is 27%. The organism is sensitive to penicillin, resistant to aminoglycosides, and not easily grown on common media. It appears to be serum-sensitive in tests with normal human serum. Penicillin prophylaxis of dog bite wounds is especially important in high-risk patients. DF-2 infection should be considered when any splenectomized patient develops fulminant septicemia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and peripheral gangrene. Examination of a gram stain of the peripheral blood or buffy coat is of value in such cases.


Background: Cysteine-rich receptor-like kinases (CRKs) represent a large subfamily of receptor-like kinases and have important roles in numerous different physiological processes in plants. Results: CaCRK5 transcripts were observed to accumulate after the inoculation of R. solanacearum and treatment with salicylic acid. The fusion between CaCRK5 and the green fluorescence protein was targeted to the plasma membrane. Suppression of CaCRK5 via virus-induced gene silencing made pepper plants significantly susceptible to R. solanacearum infection, which was accompanied by decreased expression of defense related genes CaPR1, CaSAR8.2, CaDEF1 and CaACO1. Overexpression of CaCRK5 in tobacco conferred increased resistance against R. solanacearum. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation with quantitative real-time PCR analysis verified that a homeodomain zipper I protein CaHDZ27 can bind to the CaCRK5 promoter, and directly active its expression. Yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation analyses suggested that CaCRK5 could heterodimerize with the homologous member CaCRK6 in the plasma membrane. Conclusions: Our data indicated that CaCRK5 played a positive role in pepper resistance against R. solanacearum infection.


The synthetic peptide N-benzoyl-L-tyrosyl-p-aminobenzoic acid was tested in vitro and in vivo for its chymotrypsin specificity. Comparative kinetic tests with bovine chymotrypsin and human pancreatic juice, as well as clearance tests with p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), made this peptide seem suitable for an indirect pancreatic-function test. A testing scheme was set up for clinical use which has yielded promising preliminary results. While in 31 out of 32 healthy subjects there were normal PABA excretion rates in the urine collected over six hours, the test correlated well in 15 out of 16 cases of definite pancreatic disorder. The percentage dose excretion of PABA in the urine collected over six hours gave good correlations with the one-hour amount of chymotrypsin in the pancreozymin-secretin-test and with the concentration of chymotrypsin in the feces. These preliminary results make this test appear an appropriate screening method for pancreatopathy.


Chemical fungicides cause serious environmental problems. Plant based pesticides considered to be better alternatives as they are known to have minimal environmental impact in contrast to synthetic pesticides. The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of some plant powders on controlling damping-off disease incited by the tested pathogens under greenhouse conditions. Seed treatment with the tested plant powders significantly reduced TIP values incited by the tested seed-born pathogens. The highest reduction rate (37.5%) was detected in R. raetam / F. semitictum / CREDO cv. treatment, whereas the least rate (4.55%) was realized in C. trifurcatum F. semitictum and F. moniliforme interactions in ANANAS cv.. The highest TIP reduction rates (33.33%, 23.53% and 22.22%) were observed in R. raetam / F. solani, R. raetam / F. moniliforme and R. raetam / M. phaseolina treatments, respectevily. The highest reduction rate (25.0%) was detected in P. dactylifera / F. semitictum and F. solani interactions in CREDO cv. Significant reduction in PRD values was detected as a result of seed treatment with the tested plant extract, attaining maximum rates in R. raetam / F. solani (43.75%), F. semitictum (33.33%), M. phaseolina (28.57%) and F. moniliforme (23.07%), while in P. dactylifera treatment gave the highest reduction rates (37.5% , 26.32% and 25.0%) were observed in F. solani / CREDO cv., F. solani / ANANAS cv. and M. phaseolina / ANANAS cv. Significant reductions PTD in damping-off incidence in all cantaloupe cultivars were obtained due to treatment with most of the tested plant powders, but in some treatments were non effected, however, R. raetam was more efficient in reducing damping-off incited by F. semitictum, F. moniliforme and F. solani (42.86%, 28.57% and 27.27%, respectively compared with control). On the other hand, P. dactylifera and C. trifurcatum were more efficient in controlling damping-off caused by F. semitictum, where reduction%, compared damping-off incidence. Generally, R. raetam was more effected to controlling the tested pathogenic fungi followed by P. dactylifera.


The Navy Oceanographic Meteorological Automatic Device (NOMAD) buoy was developed by the U.S. Navy (USN) in the late 1940s as an offshore autonomous meteorological platform. Between 1951 and 1970, 21 NOMAD buoys were built and deployed in a wide range of locations. In 1974, the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) acquired several of these NOMAD buoys, and since that time has used the hulls as meteorological and oceanographic data buoys. The NOMAD buoy has excellent performance characteristics and is the principal hull used on NDBC's remote stations in the north Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. NDBC modified the internal compartmentation and structural design of the buoy to reduce its acquisition cost, and has constructed 24 additional NOMAD hulls of this value-engineered (VE) design. The NOMAD design has also been adapted for use by Environment Canada, and it was the basis for a boat-shaped buoy developed in Japan. This paper reviews the history of the NOMAD buoy's development, highlights its physical characteristics, discusses its accomplishments in the 40 years of use as an ocean data acquisition system (ODAS) buoy, and describes plans for future NDBC applications of the buoy.


Background Holiday seasons can present a major problem to RA patients treated with weekly subcutaneous biologics, including subcutaneous (SC) abatacept. Therefore an evaluation into the use of IV-abatacept treatment to cover a 4 week break may present an acceptable alternative. Objectives To study the efficacy and safety of a single intravenous (IV) course with abatacept in Patients with rheumatoid arthritis currently receiving weekly injections of SC abatacept to simulate a patient "vacation" followed by a switch back to SC abatacept. Methods This open label, prospective, single arm 24-weeks trial recruited patients with established RA and in low disease activity (LDA) under treatment with SC abatacept for at least 3 months to receive a single dose of IV abatacept (day 0) and to be continued on SC abatacept from day 28 on (NCT01147341). DMARD- and/or biologic-inadequate responders were included and previous exposure to IV abatacept was allowed in a maximum of 50% of the patients. Results Baseline characteristics of the 49 patients were typical for a cohort of RA patients with established disease (mean disease duration 8.31 years) in LDA under treatment. Two patients dropped out of the study (1 flare, 1 patient decision). The proportion of patients with DAS 28 ≤3.2 at day 28 was 93.9% (95%CI 83.5-97.9) at day 28, 91.7% (95%CI 80.4-96.7) at day 84 and 93.6 (95%CI 82.8-97.8) at the end of the study, day 168. This proportion remained stable throughout the entire follow up. The average DAS 28 at baseline was 1.74 (SD ±0.72) at baseline, 2.03 (SD ±1.03) at day 28, 1.86 (SD ±0.91) at day 84 and 1.96 (SD ±0.92) at the end of the study, day 168. Pre-exposure to IV abatacept and having failed MTX or anti TNF did not influence the average DAS 28 or the proportion of patients maintaining LDA. The average HAQ-DI was stable throughout the study. Adverse events occurred in 75% of subjects. Four serious adverse events (SAE) were described during the study. None of them was related to the investigational product and all SAE could be resolved during hospitalization. Discontinuation of abatacept was not necessary in these patients. There were no deaths, neoplasms, opportunistic or other serious infections. Conclusions This prospective, open label study of abatacept shows for the first time that switching from weekly SC to IV abatacept and back after 4 weeks is an effective and safe way to bridge holidays in RA patients in LDA. Disclosure of Interest R. Mueller Grant/research support from: The study was supported by an unrestricted research grant from BMS, M. Gengenbacher: None declared, S. Richter: None declared, J. Dudler: None declared, B. Möller: None declared, J. von Kempis Grant/research support from: The study was supported by an unrestricted research grant from BMS


The dramatic lifestyle changes forced by COVID-19-related lockdown promoted weight gain, with a stronger impact on obese subjects, at higher risk of severe infection. The PubMed database was searched to identify original studies assessing: (1) the extent and risk factors of lockdown-induced weight increase; and (2) the impact of obesity on the risk of hospital admission in children and adolescents. A systematic literature review and meta-analyses were performed. Twenty out of 13,986 identified records were included. A significant weight increase was reported in the majority of subjects, with no apparent gender or age differences. It was induced by a higher consumption of hypercaloric/hyperglycemic/junk food and/or the reduction of physical activity, often associated with an altered sleep–wake cycle. On the other hand, obesity increased the risk of hospitalization (OR = 4.38; 95% C.I. 1.46–13.19; p = 0.009; I2 = 96%) as compared to the normal weight population. COVID-19 and obesity represent epidemic conditions with reciprocal detrimental impact. Urgent public health interventions, targeting the various age and social strata, and involving governmental authorities, health care personnel, teachers and families are warranted to increase awareness and actively promote healthy lifestyles to contrast pediatric obesity and its detrimental consequences at a global level.


Cogenra company has created a low concentration PV/Thermal system that produces both thermal energy and electricity simultaneously, mainly for commercial and industrial applications. The realization of a system that combines photovoltaic modules, solar thermal collectors and concentrating mirrors makes it a complicated system to study. So far, only simple studies have been made on Cogenra's LCPVT system including a 2-dimensional model. In this project, the possibility of using a Computational Fluid Dynamics software for analysing the low concentration PV/Thermal system of Cogenra has been studied. The CFD software Ansys Fluent has been used, in which a model was created in accordance to the Cogenra LCPVT system. After validating the results, the model has been used for analysing the system's performance under various conditions in order to realize the system's losses. Furthermore, due to the numerous components of the system, the analysis of the LCPVT system becomes a multi-variable problem. For this reason, three main parameters (mass flow rate, optical concentration, PV type) that affect the system's performance has been chosen and studied in order to improve the system's overall efficiency. Since the system has both electrical and thermal outputs, an equivalent efficiency was determined to express the two different efficiency terms. For the purpose of comparing the performance of the LCPVT system with the traditional photovoltaic modules, one other simple model was created in Ansys Fluent. This model has also been simulated under the same conditions as the Cogenra system in order to observe the difference in output between the LCPVT system and the photovoltaic modules. The low concentration PV/Thermal system has also been compared with other solar thermal systems such as a PV/Thermal system, a Concentrated Thermal system and a simple Solar Thermal System.


In May 2018, at the 4th and final meeting of the Special Commission of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, the draft Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters that had been developed since 1992 was represented. It is expected that after the Diplomatic Session that will be held in the mid-2019 the draft will be finalized and the Convention will be adopted and opened for signature.In this regard, the article attempts to analyze the main provisions of the draft Convention and assess the appropriateness for the Russian Federation to access it, taking into account the fact that Russia has a limited number of international treaties permitting recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in Russia and decisions of Russian courts abroad. Based on the results of the analysis, the author concludes that the adoption of this Convention will provide for a simple and effective basis for the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments eligible for States with different legal, social and economic circumstances. This, in turn, will increase the practical value of court decisions ensuring the most comprehensive protection of the rights and interests of the party in whose favour the decision has been made and, as a consequence, will contribute to the attractiveness of this method of dispute resolution for parties involved in cross-border private law relations.However, the mixed attitudes of the EU and the USA to the Draft Convention raises the question of their accession to the future Convention and may significantly reduce the impact of the adoption of the document under consideration.


Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a crucial component of the terrestrial carbon cycle and its turnover time in models is a key source of uncertainty. Studies have highlighted the utility of δ13C measurements for benchmarking SOC turnover in global models. We used 13C as a tracer within a vertically discretized soil module of a land‐surface model, Organising Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic Ecosystems‐ Soil Organic Matter (ORCHIDEE‐SOM). Our new module represents some of the processes that have been hypothesized to lead to a 13C enrichment with soil depth as follows: 1) the Suess effect and CO2 fertilization, 2) the relative 13C enrichment of roots compared to leaves, and 3) 13C discrimination associated with microbial activity. We tested if the upgraded soil module was able to reproduce the vertical profile of δ13C within the soil column at two temperate sites and the short‐term change in the isotopic signal of soil after a shift in C3/C4 vegetation. We ran the model over Europe to test its performance at larger scale. The model was able to simulate a shift in the isotopic signal due to short‐term changes in vegetation cover from C3 to C4; however, it was not able to reproduce the overall vertical profile in soil δ13C, which arises as a combination of short and long‐term processes. At the European scale, the model ably reproduced soil CO2 fluxes and total SOC stock. These findings stress the importance of the long‐term history of land cover for simulating vertical profiles of δ13C. This new soil module is an emerging tool for the diagnosis and improvement of global SOC models.


The development of a scale to measure an abused woman's self-efficacy is described. The Self-Efficacy Scale for Abused Women (SESAW) originally was a 27-item 100-mm visual analog scale. It underwent face and content validity testing and was administered to a community sample of abused women (N = 50). The SESAW was tested for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity. Cronbach's alphas were.95 and.96 at times 1 and 2, respectively. The bivariate correlation between the SESAW at times 1 and 2 was r =.85, p <.01. Construct validity was established by a moderate bivariate correlation with the criterion as measured by the Self-Efficacy Scale-general/global subscale (r =.64, p <.01 at time 1, and r =.78, p <.01 at time 2). The SESAW was streamlined to 19 items. The SESAW is an acceptable measure of situation-specific self-efficacy in community-based abused women.


Permanent teeth present an incomplete root formation at the eruption time. The dental pulp complete the process of root formation producing dentine from the odontoblasts whenever it was affected by any injury altering its vitality could cause a disruption in the normal formation of the dental root interrupting its apexogénesis. We report a case of incomplete root formation after a revascularization procedure performed in a right lateral incisor with a history of intrusive luxation. After five years of a radiographic follow-up, apical closure was not observed. Apexification was therefore performed using MTA material which has properties that could be considered as an option for treatment of immature teeth that have suffered from some kind of trauma in order to achieve its preservation after losing its pulp vitality.


Dredging works in several sectors of Salado River are probably the most important activity of disturbance in a pampean aquatic ecosystem, with implications in a RAMSAR site (Samborombon Bay). The interventions are taking place in the lower basin and considered as a reference of disturbance for future and major works as the dredging of almost 100 km of the Salado River main channel. Physical and chemical conditions were analysed in two sectors: upstream (El Destino, ED) and downstream (Guerrero, G) of La Postrera. This study was done before and during the extraction of a river restriction and the old bridge replacement. Samples were collected during 18 weeks (3/04-7/04) (2 or 3 times/week). Each sample was the result of the water sample integration on a transversal transect of the stream. The physical and chemical parameters measured «in situ» were: pH, conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature and salinity. Fractions of phosphorus and suspended solids were analysed. The simulation of different sampling frequencies showed that variables related to physic environment (temperature, conductivity and pH) can be explained by monthly and biweekly sampling. On the other hand, the main variations of total phosphorus, suspended solids and turbidity can be only explained by the daily sampling. Suspended solids concentration was higher upstream (mean: 0.12 g.L -1 ) than downstream (mean: 0.10 g.L -1 ). Maximum mean phosphorus concentration values were reached at ED. Soluble reactive phosphorus concentrations were similar at both river sectors (305.81 and 307.08 μg.L -1 in ED and G, respectively). Conductivity diminished from 6,770to 2,530 μS.cm -1 due to the discharge increase. Total particulate phosphorus, suspended solids and turbidity increased at ED and diminished at G. The dredging works in moments of low waters, and taking care of the extracting material location, as recommended the environmental management techniques, did not affect sediment transport through the river. The phosphorus concentration differences between both river sectors could be by the settlement processes in La Tigra Lake and the availability of this nutrient to the phytoplankton and macrophytes.


This is the first report that
Zn–H2O–CO2 is an excellent reducing
reagent for the reduction of aldehydes in supercritical carbon dioxide
(scCO2). The corresponding alcohols were obtained in good yields
and excellent selectivity. The experimental results showed that
scCO2 plays an important role in this reduction.


An optical-digital processor for generalized image enhancement and filtering has been designed and is now under construction. The optical subsystem is a two PROM Fourier filter processor. Input imagery is isolated, scaled, and imaged onto the first PROM. This input plane acts like a liquid gate and serves as an incoherent to coherent converter. The image is transformed onto a second PROM which also serves as a filter medium. Filters are written onto the second PROM with a laser scan-ner in real time. A solid state CCTV camera records the filtered image which is then digitized and stored in a digital image processor. The operator can then manipulate the filtered image using the gray scale and color remapping capabilities of the video processor as well as the digital processing capabilities of the mini-computer. The operator can then try new optical filters and iteratively develop optimum methods of detecting patterns. The goal of this research is to develop automated feature extraction algorithms which will minimize the need for human intervention. This system is currently being assembled at ETL, Fort Belvoir, VA.


Insect peptides are key elements of the innate immunity against bacteria and fungi. These molecules offer remarkable properties: high efficacy, a low probability of resistance, limited toxicity, and immunogenicity. In this context, we are investigating several classes of peptides, and we have been successful in identifying biologically important classes of peptides and small molecules that will provide a stream of drug candidates for treating severe, life-threatening, hospital-acquired infections and other pathologies of high medical need. Recently, we have isolated a new class of antifungal peptides from the coleopteran Acrocinus longimanus. Three homologous peptides, Alo-1, Alo-2, and Alo-3, with sequence identity above 80% and active against the Candida glabrata yeast strain were identified. Alo-3 displayed the highest activity against Candida glabrata and was thus chosen for structure determination using NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling. Alo-3 contains six cysteine residues forming three disulfide bridges. The pairing of the cysteines was assessed using ambiguous disulfide restraints within the ARIA software, allowing us to establish that Alo-3 belongs to the inhibitor cystine-knot family. It exhibits all the structural features characteristic of the knottin fold, namely, a triple-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet with a long flexible loop connecting the first strand to the second strand and a series of turns. To our knowledge, Alo-3 is the first peptide from insects with antimicrobial activity adopting the knottin fold. Alo-3 shows a level of activity significantly higher against C. glabrata than Alo-1 or Alo-2. It has no negatively charged residues and displays on its surface a cationic pole that may account for its antifungal activity. This finding is validated by the comparison of the structure of Alo-3 with the structure of other structurally related peptides from other sources also showing antifungal activity.


The fulfillment of e-Government visions is dependent of and leads to increased vertical and horizontal integration of government operations and services. E-government leverages the IT infrastructures to create new kinds of applications and services. A poorly designed infrastructure can block interoperability and severely hinder the migration towards e-government. E-Government information systems (EGIS) are increasingly interlinked using the physical network infrastructure. In addition, the IT infrastructure contains more and more services for supporting interoperability and communication. The demand for communication and collaboration between organizations as well as interoperability among systems is steadily increasing. Therefore, business processes and supporting IT infrastructures need to be enhanced, redesigned, streamlined, interfaced, and integrated across various governmental levels and branches presumably leading to gains in internal effectiveness and efficiency as well as to improved internal and external services.


The work is devoted to the investigation of nontrivial behavior of dilute water-alcohol solutions. The temperature and concentration dependencies of the contraction for aqueous solutions of ethanol and methanol are analyzed. The existence of a specific point, the so-called peculiar point, was established. It is shown that water-alcohol solutions of different types obey the principle of corresponding states if temperature and volume fraction are used as principal coordinates. In this case, the concentration of the peculiar point for different solutions is close to x_{\nu}=0.28. Several predictions are made.


Decades of subsurface exploration and characterization have led to the collation and storage of large volumes of well-related data. The amount of data gathered daily continues to grow rapidly as technology and recording methods improve. With the increasing adoption of machine-learning techniques in the subsurface domain, it is essential that the quality of the input data is carefully considered when working with these tools. If the input data are of poor quality, the impact on precision and accuracy of the prediction can be significant. Consequently, this can impact key decisions about the future of a well or a field. This study focuses on well-log data, which can be highly multidimensional, diverse, and stored in a variety of file formats. Well-log data exhibits key characteristics of big data: volume, variety, velocity, veracity, and value. Well data can include numeric values, text values, waveform data, image arrays, maps, and volumes. All of which can be indexed by time or depth in a regular or irregular way. A significant portion of time can be spent gathering data and quality checking it prior to carrying out petrophysical interpretations and applying machine-learning models. Well-log data can be affected by numerous issues causing a degradation in data quality. These include missing data ranging from single data points to entire curves, noisy data from tool-related issues, borehole washout, processing issues, incorrect environmental corrections, and mislabeled data. Having vast quantities of data does not mean it can all be passed into a machine-learning algorithm with the expectation that the resultant prediction is fit for purpose. It is essential that the most important and relevant data are passed into the model through appropriate feature selection techniques. Not only does this improve the quality of the prediction, but it also reduces computational time and can provide a better understanding of how the models reach their conclusion. This paper reviews data quality issues typically faced by petrophysicists when working with well-log data and deploying machine-learning models. This is achieved by first providing an overview of machine learning and big data within the petrophysical domain, followed by a review of the common well-log data issues, their impact on machine-learning algorithms, and methods for mitigating their influence.