Surface passivation is critical for effective PCR using silicon-glass chips. We tested a dynamic polymer-based surface passivation method. Polyethylene glycol 8000 (PEG 8000) or polyvinylpyrrolidone 40 (PVP-40) applied at 0.75% (w/v) in the reaction mixture produced significant surface passivation effects using either native or SiO2-precoated silicon-glass chips. PCR amplification was achieved from human genomic DNA as a template as well as from human lymphocytes. The dynamic surface passivation effect of PEG 8000 remained similar under both conditions. Dynamic surface passivation offers a simple and cost-effective method to make microfabricated silicon-glass chips PCR friendly. It can also be used in combination with static passivation (silicon oxide surface layer) to further improve PCR performance using silicon-glass PCR chips.


Almost everyone from Africa or Asia needs a visa to enter Spain--although citizens of the U.S. and over 50 other countries do not. Many delegates from developing countries have had great difficulties getting a Spanish visa to attend the big international conference in Barcelona; we do not know how many were kept away as a result. In addition, we look at another access and solidarity issues, the price of the international AIDS conferences--and show that other large meetings can make a profit on a tenth the price.


In the article, the hypothesis that the modern industrial-technological process causes complication of socio-economic space and conducts to amplification its integrity, which, in turn, causes the need for the coordinated and balanced development, is proved. The process of complication of economic space is revealed as a result of number growth of communications caused by creation of the enterprises and organizations, by the change of structure of manufacture and increase of an educational level of the population. The characteristics of a new quality of economic space are given. The factors of the coordinated and balanced development of territories are allocated. The contents «a commercial combination» is shown. The necessity of transition to the system innovation thinking in conditions of becoming complicated economic space is proved. The idea of use «rebalancing of the economy « as a new vision of equation in conditions of crisis situations is offered. The conclusion is made that the result of theoretical and practical searches should become formation vital stability of development of territories, which is provided with intelligence technological and moral ethical level of the population, living on it.


We describe a new species of whiptail lizard genus Ameivula from Planalto dos Gerais, a sandstone plateau that extends along the Cerrado region in the states of Bahia, Tocantins, Piaui, and Minas Gerais, in Brazil. The new species is the third recognized species of the A. ocellifera group registered for the Cerrado. Quantitative analyses of morphometric characters showed that Caatinga species are distinguished from their Cerrado congeners on basis of body size and shape. A discriminant analysis upon meristic characters showed that the new species can be clearly distinguished from the other two Cerrado species A. mumbuca and A. jalapensis, also the morphology of the finger lamellae, and clutch size distinguish these species.


Language hybridity production is a linguistics phenomenon that comes up nowadays among multilanguage speakers. Indlish then comes up as a part of Englishes, this new term refers to language hybridity formed from the combination of the Indonesian affixations and the English words. This qualitative research conducted in two months for collecting the speakers' hybrid words productions. The participants on this research are 32 graduate students that speak in at least 4 languages and at most 7 languages. The result shows that there is a formation of the hybrid words produced by the students, the formation is followed by the Indonesian rule of affixation addition and places the English words instead of the Indonesian.
Keywords: morphology, word production, hybrid, Indonesian, English


Imaging methods (IM) are important for both the diagnosis and monitoring of the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). The report discusses radiological IM as well as methods of nuclear medicine. Hole-body screening using simple X-ray pictures is still used in all newly diagnosed cases of the disease, though its validity is significantly higher in chronic forms and primarily in the diagnostics of vertebral compressions. Computer tomography (CT) ideally scans the destructive changes on the compact bone, but it is not very good in showing bone marrow. It is however, invaluable in targeted biopsy or vertebroplasty. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) currently has a decisive role mainly in early diagnostics, thanks to its ability to show early changes in the bone marrow. Of critical importance is also indication for MRI in the imaging of structures of the spinal canal and in evidencing epidural propagation of tumour mass. A disadvantage of the method is its inability to show the effects of the treatment immediately following its administration. Contraindications of MRI are also addressed. Among the methods of nuclear medicine, the most important are hole-body 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy and full-body FDG-PET/CT examinations. 99mTc-MIBI is a sensitive indicator of the biological activity of the disease. It shows the damage to the skeleton caused by the tumour before anatomic changes appear. It reliably differentiates MM remissions from relapses and can be used to determine the optimal position for biopsy puncture. The method is good for monitoring the course of the disease and forecasting the results of the treatment. Its disadvantage is its limited resolution capacity, therefore focal lesions smaller than 10 mm usually escape scintigraphic detection. Similarly to 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy, FDG-PET/CT examination shows tumorous affection of the skeleton before structural changes appear. It is a highly effective method especially in detecting skeletal damage and extramedullar exhibitions of the disease. The sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET/CT examination is increased by simultaneous CT examination which is made possible by new generation hybrid instruments. The method, together with 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy, is very important in the detection of hypo/non-secretional forms of MM. It provides "real time" information on the response of the tumour to treatment and reliably detects the relapse and the remission. An overview is given of recommended examination algorithms for acute and chronic forms and for the monitoring of the treatment of MM, as well as of the importance of all IM for clinical practice.


Digital public displays can have a huge potential as a communication medium for individual creativity and self-expression. However, opening public displays to user-generated content and personalisation requires content publication practices that people may easily understand and appropriate according to their communication goals. This is crucial for both the individuals exposing their media on the displays and for the owners of those displays. In this work, we study a range of public expression practices that are already in common use. Although they rely on some form of non-digital display, they can provide important design inspirations for situated digital displays. Based on the analysis of descriptions of those practices and semi-structured interviews with 25 interviewees, we identify a range of design sensitivities arranged around 3 fundamental themes: authorship; appropriateness; and collaboration. These should inform the design of novel approaches for enabling digital displays to become a new medium for public expression.


This Book explains Waqf as "Sadaqah Jariyah" or "continuous Sadaqah". The Waqf is created by giving away an asset, which has eternal value of ample benefit(s) to its giver. The Sadaqah, is, however, religious. It involves establishing a Mosque, or providing basic necessities and/or welfare to people such as building a house for the wayfarer, especially during one's lifetime so that he/she will get the reward for his/her own good deed after death. An important characteristic of Waqf relates to its objectives, which is the idea of giving charity, providing socio-economic relief to the needy, the poor and also giving education to people in the course of Allah. This Book determines the Waqf management and its process of succession. The Waqf provider can give guidelines on the method he/she likes the Waqf to be implemented. Most Awqaf are perpetual in nature and very often this is emphasized in the Waqf deeds. The Book therefore sheds more light on the concept of Waqf, its meaning and historical development. . It is recommended to students, teachers and researchers of Waqf in Islamic jurisprudence.


Although a variety of office tools have been shown to improve diabetes care, the use and effectiveness of these tools outside the context of clinical trials is largely unknown. We surveyed primary care practices in Kansas. Using Medicare claims, we identified patients with diabetes, linked them to practices, and assessed the use of glycohemoglobin (GHb) tests, eye examinations, and lipid profiles. Performance rates among practices ranged from 15% to 100% (mean = 84%) for GHb tests, 20% to 100% (mean = 70%) for lipid profiles, and 50% to 100% (mean = 78%) for eye examinations. None of the practices used computerized tracking systems, 29% used diabetes flowsheets, and 33% allocated specific diabetes care responsibilities to nonphysician personnel. Neither use of flowsheets nor use of nonphysician personnel was associated with improvements in diabetes care. Although practices varied widely in their care of patients with diabetes, as currently implemented, office system tools have not led to consistently better performance.


The effects of lattice point defects on the absorption of incident photons in a single-quantum-well system are investigated by using a quantum-statistical theory. Our self-consistent theoretical model includes the defect-induced vertex correction to an unscreened dynamical polarization function of doped electrons under the ladder approximation. Meanwhile, the intralayer dynamical screening to the Coulomb interaction between charged point defects and conduction electrons are also taken into account within the random-phase approximation. The numerical results for nonlinear variations in absorption spectra by defects are demonstrated and analyzed for various defect densities. The combination of the current theory with a space-weather forecast model will enable novel designs of satellite onboard electronic and optoelectronic devices with radiation-hardening protection and extended lifetimes. More specifically, this theory facilitates a better characterization of photodetectors not only for high quantum efficiency and low dark current density but also for radiation tolerance or mitigation of radiation damage.


This paper presents the results of a project on Computational Thinking education for primary school pupils. During the project – called Computational Thinking for children education – 81 students from a primary school in Italy have been guided to the design and development of computer games through the Microsoft Kodu game development platform. Different activities have been proposed to the pupils with the aim of promoting Computational Thinking abilities and skills. A narrative approach has been adopted throughout the project. Preliminary results of the educational experience highlight as the adoption of narrative learning and physical reproduction of manipulative programming objects provide an affordance for the development of Computational Thinking abilities. Furthermore, constancy during the learning process affects the acquisition of game development skills; finally, the design and implementation of computer games using Kodu have had a significant positive influence on the perception of computer programming.


Purpose
Ensuring quality is one of the most significant challenges in microtask crowdsourcing tasks. Aggregation of the collected data from the crowd is one of the important steps to infer the correct answer, but the existing study seems to be limited to the single-step task. This study aims to look at multiple-step classification tasks and understand aggregation in such cases; hence, it is useful for assessing the classification quality.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors present a model to capture the information of the workflow, questions and answers for both single- and multiple-question classification tasks. They propose an adapted approach on top of the classic approach so that the model can handle tasks with several multiple-choice questions in general instead of a specific domain or any specific hierarchical classifications. They evaluate their approach with three representative tasks from existing citizen science projects in which they have the gold standard created by experts.

Findings
The results show that the approach can provide significant improvements to the overall classification accuracy. The authors' analysis also demonstrates that all algorithms can achieve higher accuracy for the volunteer- versus paid-generated data sets for the same task. Furthermore, the authors observed interesting patterns in the relationship between the performance of different algorithms and workflow-specific factors including the number of steps and the number of available options in each step.

Originality/value
Due to the nature of crowdsourcing, aggregating the collected data is an important process to understand the quality of crowdsourcing results. Different inference algorithms have been studied for simple microtasks consisting of single questions with two or more answers. However, as classification tasks typically contain many questions, the proposed method can be applied to a wide range of tasks including both single- and multiple-question classification tasks.


ABSTRACT  This skripsi  was made as requirement to obtain bachelor Degree in English in Sam Ratulangi University. This research is entitled Coherence of Donald Trump"s speeches. It is an attempt to analyze and explain the items of coherence. The objectives of this research is to classify, and analyze the items of coherence of Donald Trump"s speeches. There are three steps to finish this research. First step is preparation, the writer finds 4 speeches among others 1) Victory Speech of Donald Trump, 2) Donald Trump"s Speech on National Security in Philadelphia, 3) Donald Trump Gives First Campaign Speech Since Hiring Bannon & Conway  ,  and 4) Donald Trump Law & Order Speech. Second step The writer reads it several times and gains an understanding of speeches and identify  aspects of coherence that exist in the 4 speeches in according to  the theory of Alba-Juez (2009), then classifies the speeches that  have been identified in this aspect of coherence. Third step the writer analyzes the data that has been collected and identified according to the theory of Alba-Juez (2009) on discourse analysis. The theory consist of two aspect, they are: mark Coherence and unmark coherence  The writer conducts this research by using descriptive method. The data were taken from the Speeches of Donald Trump and analyzed base on Juez" (2009). The finding show that there are 261 marked coherence ( 171 examples of addition, 23 examples of contrast, 11 examples of casuality, 15 examples of condition, 14 examples of conclusion, 7 examples of tempo, 9 examples of intensity, 2 examples of comparison, 9 examples of validation ) but there is no marked coherence on instrument and similiaritas. In addition unmarked coherence is not found in the data. Keywords : Discourse Analysis, Speech of Donald Trump., Coherence Items


We studied attention effects on the integration of written and spoken syllables in fluent adult readers by using event-related brain potentials. Auditory consonant-vowel syllables, including consonant and frequency changes, were presented in synchrony with written syllables or their scrambled images. Participants responded to longer-duration auditory targets (auditory attention), longer-duration visual targets (visual attention), longer-duration auditory and visual targets (audiovisual attention), or counted backwards mentally. We found larger negative responses for spoken consonant changes when they were accompanied by written syllables than when they were accompanied by scrambled text. This effect occurred at an early latency (∼ 140 ms) during audiovisual attention and later (∼ 200 ms) during visual attention. Thus, audiovisual attention boosts the integration of speech sounds and letters.


This paper concerns the first-order approximation of the piecewise-differentiable flow generated by a class of nonsmooth vector fields. Specifically, we represent and compute the Bouligand (or B-)derivative of the piecewise-$C^r$ flow generated by an event-selected $C^r$ vector field. Our results are remarkably efficient: although there are factorially many "pieces" of the desired derivative, we provide an algorithm that evaluates its action on a given tangent vector using polynomial time and space, and verify the algorithm's correctness by deriving a representation for the B-derivative that requires "only" exponential time and space to construct. We apply our methods in two classes of illustrative examples: piecewise-constant vector fields and mechanical systems subject to unilateral constraints.


How present challenges are being met by the innovation taking place in wire-bonding technology is discussed. A wire-bonder system accuracy model is discussed. Factors that affect minimum pad-size requirement and fine pitch capability are described. The requirements for attaining true-bond program portability are analyzed. Results of designed experiments undertaken to better understand the wire-bonding process are also presented. >


We analyze the luminosity function of the globular clusters (GCs) belonging to the early-type galaxies observed in the ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. We have obtained maximum likelihood estimates for a Gaussian representation of the globular cluster luminosity function (GCLF) for 89 galaxies. We have also fit the luminosity functions with an "evolved Schechter function", which is meant to reflect the preferential depletion of low-mass GCs, primarily by evaporation due to two-body relaxation, from an initial Schechter mass function similar to that of young massive clusters in local starbursts and mergers. We find a highly significant trend of the GCLF dispersion σ with galaxy luminosity, in the sense that the GC systems in smaller galaxies have narrower luminosity functions. The GCLF dispersions of our Galaxy and M31 are quantitatively in keeping with this trend, and thus the correlation between σ and galaxy luminosity would seem more fundamental than older notions that the GCLF dispersion depends on Hubble type. We show that this narrowing of the GCLF in a Gaussian description is driven by a steepening of the cluster mass function above the classic turnover mass, as one moves to lower luminosity host galaxies. In a Schechter function description, this is reflected by a steady decrease in the value of the exponential cutoff mass scale. We argue that this behavior at the high-mass end of the GC mass function is most likely a consequence of systematic variations of the initial cluster mass function rather than long-term dynamical evolution. The GCLF turnover mass MTO is roughly constant, at MTO ≃ (2.2 ± 0.4) × 105 M☉ in bright galaxies, but it decreases slightly (by ~35% on average, with significant scatter) in dwarf galaxies with MB,gal ≳ -18. It could be important to allow for this effect when using the GCLF as a distance indicator. We show that part, although perhaps not all, of the variation could arise from the shorter dynamical friction timescales in less massive galaxies. We probe the variation of the GCLF to projected galactocentric radii of 20-35 kpc in the Virgo giants M49 and M87, finding that the turnover point is essentially constant over these spatial scales. Our fits of evolved Schechter functions imply average dynamical mass losses (Δ) over a Hubble time that vary more than MTO, and systematically but nonmonotonically as a function of galaxy luminosity. If the initial GC mass distributions rose steeply toward low masses as we assume, then these losses fall in the range 2 × 105 M☉ ≲ Δ < 106 M☉ per GC for all of our galaxies. The trends in Δ are broadly consistent with observed, small variations of the mean GC half-light radius in ACSVCS galaxies, and with rough estimates of the expected scaling of average evaporation rates (galaxy densities) versus total luminosity. We agree with previous suggestions that if the full GCLF is to be understood in more detail, especially alongside other properties of GC systems, the next generation of GCLF models will have to include self-consistent treatments of dynamical evolution inside time-dependent galaxy potentials.


Traditional urban development practices disrupt the natural water cycle, increasing surface runoff volume/velocity and reducing water quality, amongst other impacts. Those negative impacts can be reduced adopting sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) techniques, such as pervious pavements. porous asphalt (PA) and permeable interlocking clay/concrete pavers (PICP) are two types of pervious pavements. Both are similar to traditional asphalt and pavers, but superficial layer has a high porosity for allowing infiltration of rain, and base/subbase layers contain a high void fraction to allow water retention. In order to analyse these types of pavements and assess how they affect the general urban stormwater network, the SWMM model has been widely used. Even so, more confidence in the selected parameters is needed, especially when modelling homogeneous areas by means of low impact development (LID) units. To do so, laboratory tests have been implemented using a rainfall simulator, testing PICP/PA materials under different slopes (1% and 6%) and rain conditions (35 mm/h and 70 mm/h), and infiltrated water was measured for each layer independently. This paper validates, using the aforementioned laboratory data, the parameters needed for modelling PA and PICP in SWMM, as well as differences between them, showing that SWMM is a convenient tool to model single events on permeable pavements for regular storms.


Metabolic profiling is widely used as a probe in diagnosing diseases. In this study, the metabolic profiling of urinary carbohydrates was investigated using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and multivariate statistical analysis. The kernel-based orthogonal projections to latent structures (K-OPLS) model were established and validated to distinguish between subjects with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). The model was combined with subwindow permutation analysis (SPA) in order to extract novel biomarker information. Furthermore, the K-OPLS model visually represented the alterations in urinary carbohydrate profiles of excess and deficiency syndromes in patients with diabetes. The combination of GC/MS and K-OPLS/SPA analysis allowed the urinary carbohydrate metabolic characterization of DM patients with different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes, including biomarkers different from non-DM patients. The method presented in this study might be a complement or an alternative to TCM syndrome research.


Masked depression is a condition in which the classic affective and cognitive symptoms of depression are hidden behind a variety of somatic complaints or behavioural problems. Patients suffering from masked depression are usually incorrectly diagnosed and treated symptomatically with little success. The condition is often encountered in the medical literature from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, but little has been published about it in recent years. This review discusses the changing ideas and approach with regard to masked depression and examines whether they are still relevant today. The literature published in each of the previous decades is studied and specific attention is given to cultural differences in a South African context. Although little has been published on masked depression in the past few years, somatic complaints in depression are still regularly examined in the literature. A significant number of patients with depression are still not correctly diagnosed and masked depression therefore remains relevant. Doctors should be aware of the presenting complaints in these patients and should understand the reasons for somatisation.


South Norfolk Council has appointed Ingleton Wood architects for the development which will replace Cygnet House - a former dementia care home in Long Stratton.


In the existing line follower robot, the robot operates as the name specifies. It is programmed to run on a black path on a white area and detects the turns and deviations and changes its movement appropriately. Arrays of IR sensors are used for detecting the path. Proposed project designed to work similar to line tracking robot. With slight modification, that reduces the complexity. By eliminating path, background and sensors we have reduced the complexity present in the existing system. RF technology is used in this project that helps in transferring the path drawn on the computer screen for the movement of Robot. The window to draw the line on computer screen is developed using C# language. And for tracing the path, we have used line algorithm which is aim of this project are used. And the robot is developed by using embedded application. H-bridge circuit is used to control the speed of the robot. Motor is used for the turning movement of Robot. From the computer, the path is transmitted and sensed by microcontroller. For turning of robot, differential steering is used. For each front and back wheel motors are used to rotate along the path. For controlling the two DC motors to navigate through its path, microcontroller is used. The mechanical constructional design and circuitry interfacing with microcontroller of robot has to be presented in this project along with computer side programming. Keywords— IRInfrared; RFRadio frequency; DCDirect Current; D2MASCdesign and develop a multipurpose autonomous smart car; CBLFRURFCommand based line following robot using RF technology. ---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------


Cooling threshold The end of each interglacial period over the past 800,000 years was characterized by large, abrupt cooling episodes that were distinct from the gradual decrease in insolation that was occurring. Why did these sudden coolings occur? Yin et al. used a suite of climate models to show that an insolation threshold exists, beneath which the slow decrease of energy from the Sun leads to rapid climate cooling. This effect results from weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation involving sea ice feedbacks in the Nordic and Labrador Seas. Science, abg1737, this issue p. 1035 The slow decrease in insolation triggers the abrupt climate cooling events at the end of interglacials. Abrupt cooling is observed at the end of interglacials in many paleoclimate records, but the mechanism responsible remains unclear. Using model simulations, we demonstrate that there exists a threshold in the level of astronomically induced insolation below which abrupt changes at the end of interglacials of the past 800,000 years occur. When decreasing insolation reaches the critical value, it triggers a strong, abrupt weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and a cooler mean climate state accompanied by high-amplitude variations lasting for several thousand years. The mechanism involves sea ice feedbacks in the Nordic and Labrador Seas. The ubiquity of this threshold suggests its fundamental role in terminating the warm climate conditions at the end of interglacials.


Based on ethnographic study conducted in Istanbul, this thesis seeks to investigate the effects of law and legal operations on transgender women's sex work and daily lives, and to disentangle the multidimensional ways through which transgender women and their conduct are governmentalized by law in Turkey. The first part of the thesis discusses the legal dynamics surrounding transgender sex work and delineates how transgender women are expulsed from regulated sex work by the interaction of the socially produced desire around their bodies and law. Led to work outside the regulated sex trade, transgender women navigate spaces which are regulated in an ambivalent manner yet which have the net effect of drawing transgender women into street sex work. The second part shows that these legal practices on sex work do not apply to all sex workers but to nearly all transgender women, depriving them from their most basic rights. Overall my analysis demonstrates that transgender women find themselves in a multitude of legal and institutional practices that are borne out of the interaction of their social contexts, their bodily performances and legal texts and their application, and that this is done through various regulatory agents. I argue that such an examination demonstrates law's multiplicity and heterogeneity against the unitary and sovereigntist understandings of law which prevail in popular discourse as well as scholarly and activist thinking in Turkey and abroad.


By any measure, the Supreme Court is tremendously overburdened with too many cases. Recently, some observers have suggested that this overwhelming workload can be alleviated by the creation of a new Intercircuit Panel, which would hear cases on reference from the Supreme Court. Such a court would hear cases primarily involving conflicts of federal law among the court of appeals. This commentary does not focus on the form of the proposed new court. Rather, it broadly considers two current problems with the federal court system: the unreasonably heavy workload burden on the Supreme Court and the inadequate capacity for achieving a satisfactory measure of uniformity in our national law. It then considers possible alternatives to an Intercircuit Panel, arguing that they are inadequate to solve these two problems.


Three kinds of polyelectrolyte complex membranes were prepared by mixing chitosan and DNA at the ratios of 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3. The effects of the membranes on cell adhesion, spreading, and viability were investigated. The mem- brane with the high ratio of chitosan had a less hydrophilic surface. The surface of the polyelectrolyte complex mem- branes became rough as the DNA content increased. The ratio of DNA to chitosan showed some effect on cell adhesion, spreading, and viability. Human mesenchymal stem cells adhered and spread on membranes prepared at chitosan/DNA ra- tios of 1:1 and 3:1, while they did not on membranes prepared at a chitosan/DNA ratio of 1:3. Cells aggregated on the membrane prepared at a chitosan/DNA ratio of 1:3. Cell viability was also higher on membranes prepared at chito- san/DNA ratios of 1:1 and 3:1 than that on the membrane prepared at a chitosan/DNA ratio of 1:3. The membrane with a high content of chitosan facilitated cell adhesion and spreading, while a high content of DNA suppressed cell adhesion and spreading.


Abstract Arctic sea ice is freckled with melt ponds during the ablation season; Antarctic sea ice has few, if any. On the basis of a simple surface beat budget, we investigate the meteorological conditions necessary for the onset of surface melting in an attempt to explain these observations. The low relative humidity associated with the relatively dry winds off the continent and an effective radiation parameter smaller than that characteristic of the Arctic are primarily responsible for the absence of melt features in the Antarctic. Together these require a surface-layer air temperature above 0°C before Antarctic sea ice can melt. A ratio of the bulk transfer coefficients CH/CE less than 1 also contributes to the dissimilarity in Arctic and Antarctic ablation seasons. The effects of wind speed and of the sea-ice roughness on the absolute values of CH and CE seem to moderate regional differences, but final assessment of this hypothesis awaits better data, especially from the Antarctic.


Results of surgical treatment of 18 patients in a thoracic surgery clinic for benign tumors of mediastinum are presented. The symptoms of benign tumors, efficacy of application of welding technologies in operative intervention were analyzed.


Authorization is a crucial security component of many distributed systems handling sensitive data or actions, including IoT systems. We present the design of a fully decentralized authorization system, WAVE, that operates at a global scale providing fine-grained permissions, noninteractive delegation and proofs of permission that can be efficiently verified, while still supporting revocation. Using smart contracts on a public blockchain, it allows rich and complex policies to be expressed and is resistant to DoS attacks without relying on any central trusted parties. We also present a novel mechanism for protecting the secrecy of resources on the public blockchain, without out-of-band channels or interaction between granters, provers or verifiers. We implemented WAVE, which has now been running for over 500 days. We show that WAVE is efficient enough to support city-scale federation with millions of participants and permission policies.


Scientific visualization evolved up to the stage where collaborative work in virtual coexistence of various experts becomes unavoidable to identify and solve specific visualization tasks. These problems encouraged us to research and define key aspects of visualization service which will enable collaborative work over the Internet. In this paper we define architecture of the whole system and unified interface for all requirements in such environment. Unified requests are sent to visualization processing unit to execute required visualization routine. Collaborative work on the volumetric medical data is especially demanding task, so we present development of VMI (Visualization of Medical data over Internet) system, where segmentation for visualization is based on joint histogram.


Background We have previously reported that heart rate recovery (HRR) after a six-minute walk test (6MWT) is a free and easily measured biomarker that can accurately predict clinical worsening in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is unknown if HRR can predict clinical outcomes in patients with connective tissue diseases. Objectives We aimed to determine whether abnormal heart rate recovery at one minute of rest (HRR1) after the 6MWT(HRR1 < 16 beats per minute) predicts survival and hospitalization in patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with connective tissue diseases (CTD-PAH). Methods Patients with pulmonary hypertension and a diagnosis of systemic sclerosis (SSc), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) who underwent the 6MW test between August 1, 2009 and October 30, 2011 were included in the analysis. Patients on beta-blocker therapy at the time of the 6MW test were excluded. Results 66 patients with CTD-PAH completed the 6MW test. Compared to patients with HRR1 > 16, patients with HRR1 < 16 were older (58 + 15 years vs. 52 + 16 years; p = 0.001), less likely to be female (75% vs. 97%; p = 0.017), and had worse WHO FC (p = 0.003). Patients with HRR1 < 16 and HRR1 > 16 did not differ significantly in baseline pulmonary function test variables (% predicted FVC, FEV1, and DLCO). Patients with abnormal HRR1 had lower 6MW distance (272.3 + 94.0 meters vs. 367.7 + 103.7 meters; p < 0.001). Patients with abnormal HRR1 had higher incidence of mortality (44% vs. 13%; p = 0.006) and PH-related hospitalizations (49% vs. 13%; p = 0.002). Compared to 6MW distance, HRR1 was a better predictor of PH-related hospitalizations (C-statistic for HRR1 = 0.735 vs. C-statistic for 6MW distance = 0.607). Conclusions In patients with PH associated with CTD, abnormal HRR1 (defined as HRR1 < 16) after the 6MW test is a strong predictor of survival and hospitalization. HRR1 after the 6MW test is a non-invasive, low cost, and easily obtained measurement that can aid in predicting clinical outcome in patients with PH associated with CTD. References: Minai OA, Gudavalli R, Mumadi S, Liu X, McCarthy K, Dweik RA. Heart rate recovery predicts clinical worsening in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2012;185:400-408 Disclosure of Interest: None Declared


SUMMARY To the authors' knowledge, there are not many cryptosys-tems proven to be as difficult as or more difficult than the discrete logarithm problem. Concerning problems related to the discrete logarithm problem, there are problems called the double discrete logarithm problem and the e-th root of the discrete logarithm problem. These two problems are likely to be difficult and they have been utilized in cryptographic protocols such as verifiable secret sharing scheme and group signature scheme. However, their exact complexity has not been clarified, yet. Related to the e-th root of the discrete logarithm problem, we can consider a square root of the discrete logarithm problem. Again, the exact complexity of this problem has not been clarified, yet. The security of cryptosystems using these underlying problems deeply depends on the difficulty of these underlying problems. Hence it is important to clarify their difficulty. In this paper we prove reductions among these fundamental problems and show that under certain conditions, these problems are as difficult as or more difficult than the discrete logarithm problem modulo a prime. key words: discrete logarithm problem, double discrete logarithm problem , square root of discrete logarithm problem, e-th root of discrete logarithm problem


approach for type 2 diabetes by low-carbohydrate diet (LOGI-Kost) Low-carbohydrate diet (LOGI-Kost) has a short term effect on blood glucose levels and lipid metabolism. Furthermore, there is a remarkable saving of diabetes medication. The current nutrition guidelines for people with type 2 diabetes containing a high proportion of carbohydrates definitely has to be reviewed. However, more research is required on the long term effects of a low carbohydrate diet.


The Appalachian Mountains of North America hold a unique diversity of land snails, including those within the family Polygyridae genus Triodopsis . West Virginia has ten or more representatives of the genus (Hubricht, 1985), displaying variations upon the conchological theme of a depressed heliciform shape with a reflected peristome bearing three lamellae. However, it remains unclear whether all of the recognized variants on this theme represent species as commonly defined. In the case of the Triodopsis juxtidens (Pilsbry, 1894) subgroup as defined by Emberton (1988)— T. juxtidens , T. discoidea (Pilsbry, 1904), T. neglecta (Pilsbry, 1899), and T. pendula Hubricht, 1952—no penial morphology or allozyme differences are known (Emberton, 1988). Conversely, mitochondrial DNA analysis that included five T. juxtidens specimens suggests this putative species is not monophyletic (Perez et al. , 2014). Rampant variation in shell morphology among Triodopsis species creates further taxonomic and identification challenges. Without additional supporting evidence for species-level differences, such as anatomical and genetic analyses, a conservative taxonomic approach is to recognize regionally distinct forms as subspecies. A unique form from the upper Bluestone River watershed is described here as Triodopsis juxtidens robinae subsp. nov.


Small-scale providers of water services are no longer seen as merely temporary substitutes for formal utilities. In many developing countries governments and donors increasingly view them as long-term partners in the work to extend and improve water services, particularly as governments accelerate efforts to meet water targets associated with the Millennium Development Goals. But a host of problems complicate efforts to make small-scale providers productive partners, including their lack of access to finance. In Kenya, a collaborative program is bringing together community-based organizations and micro-lenders to provide better water services to poor people -- and generating lessons for similar initiatives.


Placenta growth factor (PlGF) belongs to the family of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs). It binds to theflt-1 VEGF receptor but not to the KDR/flk-1receptor which is thought to mediate most of the angiogenic and proliferative effects of VEGF. Three PlGF isoforms are produced by alternative splicing. PlGF-1 and PlGF-3 differ from PlGF-2 since they lack the exon 6 encoded peptide which bestows upon PlGF-2 its heparin binding properties. Cross-linking experiments revealed that125I-PlGF-2 binds to two endothelial cell surface receptors in a heparin dependent fashion. The binding of 125I-PlGF-2 to these receptors was inhibited by an excess of PlGF-2 and by the 165-amino acid form of VEGF (VEGF165), but not at all by VEGF121 and very marginally if at all by PlGF-1. The apparent molecular weight and the binding characteristics of these receptors correspond to those of the recently identified VEGF165 specific receptor neuropilin-1, and we therefore conclude that neuropilin-1 is a receptor for PlGF-2. The binding of125I-PlGF-2 as well as the binding of125I-VEGF165 to these receptors was inhibited by a synthetic peptide derived from exon 6 of PlGF. Furthermore, the binding of 125I-PlGF-2, but not that of125I-VEGF165, was also inhibited by a synthetic peptide derived from exon 7 of PlGF. These observations indicate that the peptides encoded by these exons probably participate in the formation of the domain which mediates the binding of PlGF-2 to these receptors. We have also determined, using chemically modified heparin species, that the presence of sulfate moieties on the glucosamine-O-6 and on the iduronic acid-O-2 groups of heparin was required for the potentiation of125I-PlGF-2 binding to these receptors. To determine if PlGF-2 is able to induce biological responses that are not induced by PlGF-1, we compared the effects of PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 on the migration and proliferation of endothelial cells. Both PlGF forms induced migration of endothelial cells. However, there was no quantitative difference between the response to PlGF-2 and the response to PlGF-1. Furthermore, neither PlGF-1 nor PlGF-2 had any effect upon the proliferation of the endothelial cells.


In recent years, impurity-doped nanocrystal light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have aroused both academic and industrial interest since they are highly promising to satisfy the increasing demand of display, lighting, and signaling technologies. Compared with undoped counterparts, impurity-doped nanocrystal LEDs have been demonstrated to possess many extraordinary characteristics including enhanced efficiency, increased luminance, reduced voltage, and prolonged stability. In this review, recent state-of-the-art concepts to achieve high-performance impurity-doped nanocrystal LEDs are summarized. Firstly, the fundamental concepts of impurity-doped nanocrystal LEDs are presented. Then, the strategies to enhance the performance of impurity-doped nanocrystal LEDs via both material design and device engineering are introduced. In particular, the emergence of three types of impurity-doped nanocrystal LEDs is comprehensively highlighted, namely impurity-doped colloidal quantum dot LEDs, impurity-doped perovskite LEDs, and impurity-doped colloidal quantum well LEDs. At last, the challenges and the opportunities to further improve the performance of impurity-doped nanocrystal LEDs are described.


Existing episodic reinforcement algorithms assume that the length of an episode is fixed across time and known a priori. In this paper, we consider a general framework of episodic reinforcement learning when the length of each episode is drawn from a distribution. We first establish that this problem is equivalent to online reinforcement learning with general discounting where the learner is trying to optimize the expected discounted sum of rewards over an infinite horizon, but where the discounting function is not necessarily geometric. We show that minimizing regret with this new general discounting is equivalent to minimizing regret with uncertain episode lengths. We then design a reinforcement learning algorithm that minimizes regret with general discounting but acts for the setting with uncertain episode lengths. We instantiate our general bound for different types of discounting, including geometric and polynomial discounting. We also show that we can obtain similar regret bounds even when the uncertainty over the episode lengths is unknown, by estimating the unknown distribution over time. Finally, we compare our learning algorithms with existing value-iteration based episodic RL algorithms on a grid-world environment.


The changing facets of higher education institutions with regards to their mission are evident. It follows that the operationalization of mission statements of universities focuses more on profitable gains rather than being a mere school of thought. Conduct of research has been introduced in universities as one major selling feature to advance their capacity, quality, and ranking status. With the demand for quality graduates needed by the job market along with the increasing international branch campuses by higher education institutions, universities and colleges in the Philippines need to embrace some policy changes so as to deliver expected deliverables in higher education in preparation for ASEAN 2015. The objective of this paper points to a discourse about higher education in the Philippines and the government's response to the challenges pressed from the global and local standpoints. The discourse is preceded with trends and challenges on higher education from the international, regional, national, and local levels. Comprehensive analyses of the trends and challenges in higher education based on secondary data are the methodology employed in this paper. The Ifugao State University, a public higher education institution in the Philippines located 314 kilometers north of Manila will be cited after presenting the arguments so that impactful policy recommendations will be drawn. The key issue to be addressed in this paper is how to surmount local, national, and global challenges for a solid strategic direction towards national development.


Autopilot flight control is most important to assist non-professional pilot to operate small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It simplifies flight operation with minor pilot intervention and maintains system control reliability and safety. A UAV flight system is designed and implemented with full autonomous operation via S-BUS and MAVLink protocols. System hardware and firmware is proposed to realize autonomous functions based on the Ardu-pilot Framework on 32-bit system-on-chip (SoC). The SoC communicates to UAV Pixhawk flight controller through S-BUS and MAVLink protocols. Path planning is constructed to direct autonomous flight control by waypoint assignments on flash memory. LiDAR device is added for detect and avoid (DAA) to obstacle and terrain to secure flight. Remote operator commands can be uplink to change flight route or abandon flight in case of emergency. With flight tests, the proposed Self-Fly exhibits excellent characteristics of constraint-free from flight controller board. One-key command for full mission automatically is designed to execute system performance.


Copper(II) trifluoromethanesulfonate (Cu(OTf)2) efficiently catalyzes the C-C coupling of 3-hydoxyisoindolinones with a variety of aryl-, heteroaryl-, and alkenylboronic acids to furnish C(3) aryl-, heteroaryl-, and alkenyl-substituted isoindolinones. The coupling reactions work smoothly in 1,2-dicholoroethane (DCE) reflux, to effect both inter- and intramolecular versions. This is the first report on C(sp(3))-OH cleavage with concomitant C-C coupling. The photolabile 2-nitrobenzyl protecting group is most appropriate for promotion of the coupling reaction and for deprotection. The tetracyclic ring motif of the alkaloid neuvamine was prepared by applying the newly developed copper-catalyzed C-C coupling.


The relationship between serum carnitine levels and erythrocyte osmotic fragility was investigated in 26 chronic hemodialysis patients (10 males and 16 females, mean age: 57.3 +/- 13.5 years). Serum total-carnitine (TC), free-carnitine (FC) and acyl-carnitine (AC) levels were determined by a spectrophotometric method. Erythrocyte osmotic fragility was measured with a coil planet centrifuge. Serum TC levels were 39.9 +/- 13.4 mumol/l (mean +/- SD), FC levels were 21.8 +/- 7.8 mumol/l and AC levels were 18.0 +/- 9.6 mumol/l. The mean hemolysis end point (HEP) was 67.4 +/- 5.4 mOsM, the hemolysis maximum point (HMP) was 86.3 +/- 5.4 mOsM and the hemolysis start point (HSP) was 101.2 +/- 4.4 mOsM. Each hemolysis point in hemodialysis patients was elevated in comparison with the normal range. There were no significant differences in hemolysis points between a recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO)-treated group and nontreated group. HEP correlated with serum TC (r = -0.56, p < 0.01) and AC levels (r = -0.58, p < 0.01). HMP correlated with serum TC (r = -0.42, p < 0.05) and FC levels (r = -0.41, p < 0.05). Dose requirement of rhEPO maintaining target hematocrit correlated with serum TC (r = 0.54, p < 0.05) and FC levels (r = 0.50, p < 0.05). These data support that low serum carnitine levels accelerate erythrocyte osmotic fragility. Carnitine may contribute to the metabolism of erythrocyte membrane and have an impact on the efficacy of rhEPO in correcting renal anemia.


Controlled RNA degradation is known to be achieved via the exosome in Eukarya and Archaea, and the RNA degradosome in Bacteria. In this issue of the Biochemical Journal, Taghbalout et al. demonstrate in Escherichia coli that many additional proteins of the RNA degradation and processing network co-localize with the RNA degradosome in supramolecular structures. The latter appear as extended cytoplasmic membrane-associated assemblies that coil around the periphery of the cell when visualized by immunofluorescence microscopy. The co-localizing ensemble of RNA metabolic proteins includes RNaseE, PNPase (polynucleotide phosphorylase), the DEAD-box RNA helicase RhlB, the oligo-RNase Orn, RNases II and III, PAP I [poly(A) polymerase I], RppH (RNA pyrophosphohydrolase), proteins RraA and RraB that are negative regulators of RNaseE, and the RNA chaperone Hfq. Not all cellular RNA-binding proteins associate with these structures, as shown for EF-Tu (elongation factor Tu) and Rho helicase. Formation of the supramolecular architecture was shown to not be dependent on two other known cytoskeletal systems or on RNA de novo synthesis or nucleoid positioning within the cell. This novel dimension of compartmentalization in bacteria that lack classic cell compartments opens new perspectives on how RNA homoeostasis is achieved, organized and regulated in bacteria such as E. coli.


The Cook Islands and Niue are self-governing States within the Realm of New Zealand, freely associated with New Zealand and linked by a shared Head of State: the Sovereign in right of New Zealand. If New Zealand were to become a republic, it is likely that the constitutional link would be broken. The other aspects of the relationships of free association would not necessarily be affected, though their entrenched status in Cook Islands and Niue law could render difficult the technical amendments required to accommodate a republican New Zealand. A Realm of New Zealand of which New Zealand was no longer a part could also live on, with only minor amendment to the laws of the Cook Islands and Niue. But it would be neither desirable nor appropriate for current constitutional arrangements to continue. New Zealand's becoming a republic would ultimately provoke fundamental constitutional change in the Cook Islands and Niue, mostly likely resulting in their becoming self-governing realms or republics in free association with New Zealand.


Abstract Melanoma is the most deadly and life-threatening form of skin cancer with progressively higher rates of incidence worldwide. The objective of the present investigation is to develop and to statistically optimize and characterize curcumin (CUR) loaded ethosomes for treatment of melanoma. A two factor, three level (32) factorial design approach was employed for the optimization of ethosomes. The prepared ethosomes were evaluated for size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, in vitro skin permeation and deposition ability. The optimized ethosomal formulation was evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity and cellular uptake studies using A375 human melanoma cells. The optimized formulation has imperfect round shaped unilamellar structures with a mean vesicle size of 247 ± 5.25 nm and an entrapment efficiency of 92.24 ± 0.20%. The in vitro skin permeation studies proved the superiority of ethosomes over the traditional liposomes in terms of the amount of drug permeated and deposited in skin layers. Fluorescence microscopy showed the enhanced penetration of ethosomes into the deeper layers of the skin. In vitro cytotoxicity and cellular uptake studies revealed that curcumin ethosomes have significantly improved cytotoxicity and cellular uptake in A375 human melanoma cell lines. The colony formation assay results showed that curcumin ethosomes have a superior antiproliferative effect as they effectively inhibit the clonogenic ability of A375 cells. The flow cytometry results indicate that curcumin ethosomes induce cell death in A375 cells by apoptosis mechanism. The present study provides a strong rationale and motivation for further investigation of newly developed curcumin ethosomes as a potential therapeutic strategy for melanoma treatment.


Exercise testing was performed in 50 patients with cystic fibrosis to determine whether hemodynamic factors limit exercise capacity in the disease. Prior to exercise testing, lung function and blood gas values were measured. Nutritional status was determined by calculating a weight for height (Wt for Ht) ratio for each subject. A progressive exercise test was used to determine maximum work capacity (Wmax). Cardiac output (Q) (indirect Fick method), and stroke volume (SV) were computed during steady‐state exercise at 50% Wmax in 21 of 50 patients. Wmax, SV, Q, and lung function results are expressed as per cent predicted. The mean (± SD) Wmax was 75 ± 23%. Multiple regression analysis showed that maximum voluntary ventilation, resting Pao2, and Wt for Ht accounted for 84% of the variance in Wmax. Although some patients had a reduced SV (mean = 96%) during steady‐state exercise, all patients achieved a normal cardiac output (mean = 115%). SV correlated with resting Pao, but not with lung function. We conclude that (1) exercise capacity in cystic fibrosis is influenced by lung function, nutritional status, and resting hypoxemia, but not by cardiac function; (2) the SV limitation noted in some patients may be due to increased pulmonary vascular resistance related to hypoxemia.


In lithography, misalignment measurement with a large range and high precision in two dimensions for the overlay is a fundamental but challenging problem. For moiré-based misalignment measurement schemes, one potential solution is considered to be the use of circular gratings, whose formed moiré fringes are symmetric, isotropic, and aperiodic. However, due to the absence of proper analytical arithmetic, the measurement accuracy of such schemes is in the tens of nanometers, resulting in their application being limited to only coarse alignments. To cope with this problem, we propose a novel deep learning-based misalignment measurement strategy inspired by deep convolutional neural networks. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme can achieve nanoscale accuracy with micron-scale circular alignment marks. Relative to the existing strategies, this strategy has much higher precision in misalignment measurement and much better robustness to fabrication defects and random noise. This enables a one-step two-dimensional nanoscale alignment scheme for proximity, x-ray, extreme ultraviolet, projective, and nanoimprint lithographies.


Aim There is no known specific biomarker or genetic signal for quadruple wild-type (qWT) gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs). By next-generation sequencing (NGS) of different GIST subgroups, this study aimed to characterise such a biomarker especially as a potential therapeutic target. Methods and results An NGS panel of 672 kinase genes was applied to DNA extracted from 11 wild-type GISTs (including three qWT GISTs) and 5 KIT/PDGFRA mutated GISTs. Short variants which were present in qWT GISTs but no other GIST subgroup were shortlisted. After removing common population variants, in silico-classified deleterious variants were found in CSNK2A1, MERTK, RHEB, ROCK1, PIKFYVE and TRRAP. None of these variants were demonstrated in a separate cohort of four qWT GISTs. Conclusions Short kinase variants which are specific to qWT GISTs are rare and are not universally demonstrated by this whole subgroup. It is therefore possible that the current definition of qWT GIST still covers a heterogenous population.


Evaluation of the impact of herbicides on maize was done through multi- spectral and multi-modal imaging and multi-spectral fluorescence imaging combined with statistical methods. Spectra containing 13 wavelengths ranging from 375 nm to 940 nm were derived from multi-spectral images in transmission, reflection and scattering mode and fluorescence images obtained using high-pass filters (F450 nm, F500 nm, F550 nm, F600 nm, F650 nm) on control maize samples and maize samples treated with Herbextra herbicide were used. The appearance of the spectra allowed us to characterize the effect of the herbicide on the maize pigment concentration. The fluorescence images allowed us to track the fate of absorbed energy and through PLS-DA and SVM-DA to discriminate the two leaf categories with very low error rates for the test, i.e. 4.9% and 2% respectively. The results of this technique can be used in the context of precision agriculture.


Habrobracon females homozygous for the mutant ebony produce about 5% mosaic progeny among fertilized eggs. The present experiment demonstrates by means of a test-cross method that in the production of these mosaics only one pronucleus is involved, and that this nucleus cleaves before union of one of its daughter nuclei with the sperm nucleus.


Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular chlorophyte alga that is widely studied as a reference organism for understanding photosynthesis, sensory and motile cilia, and for development of an algal-based platform for producing biofuels and bio-products. Its highly repetitive, ~205-kbp circular chloroplast genome and ~15.8-kbp linear mitochondrial genome were sequenced prior to the advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies. Here, high coverage shotgun sequencing was used to assemble both organellar genomes de novo. These new genomes correct dozens of errors in the prior genome sequences and annotations. Genome sequencing coverage indicates that each cell contains on average 83 copies of the chloroplast genome and 130 copies of the mitochondrial genome. Using protocols and analyses optimized for organellar transcripts, RNA-Seq was used to quantify their relative abundances across 12 different growth conditions. Forty-six percent of total cellular mRNA is attributable to high expression from a few dozen chloroplast genes. RNA-Seq data were used to guide gene annotation, to demonstrate polycistronic gene expression, and to quantify splicing of psaA and psbA introns. In contrast to a conclusion from a recent study, we found that chloroplast transcripts are not edited. Unexpectedly, cytosine-rich polynucleotide tails were observed at the 3'-end of all mitochondrial transcripts. A comparative genomics analysis of eight laboratory strains and 11 wild isolates of C. reinhardtii identified 2658 variants in the organellar genomes, which is 1/10th as much genetic diversity as is found in the nucleus.


The development of the prostate is dependent upon androgens and stromal-epithelial interactions. Understanding the molecules and mechanisms by which androgens control prostate organogenesis has been a considerable challenge over the past few decades. Similarly, identifying the molecular signals passing between stromal and epithelial cells has been difficult, and consequently understanding how androgens and stromal-epithelial signalling interact is poorly understood. There remains significant uncertainty regarding how androgens control the growth of the prostate, although several pathways have been identified that are required for prostate development or which alter prostate growth. This review will summarize past findings relating to the pathways that might mediate the effects of androgens as well as molecules that act as stromal to epithelial signals in the prostate. It will also examine the approaches used to identify pathways of importance and the historical concepts that have informed these studies. In particular, the question of which mechanisms might be involved in early prostate organogenesis as well as anatomic aspects of organ induction will be described. Finally, models of prostatic development will be proposed and discussed.


Coptic Christology developed rapidly in a timespan of eight centuries between St. Cyril of Alexandria  (fifth century) and al-Makīn  (fourteenth century), a well-renowned Coptic historian and theologian. Prior to the Council of Ephesus (431), Cyril established his Alexandrine Christology on the theological grounds of the Trinity, image and likeness, and subsistence. Thus, his model posits that the humanity of Christ is the express image of the divinity in the fullness of time. The imprints of humanity are contained within the divinity, yielding a 'divinity-derived humanity', which is characteristic to Cyrillian Christology. His Christological views were slightly modified by the Nestorian controversy causing him to inadvertently amend his Christology to adhere to a more Antiochene-friendly paradigm. Post-Ephesus witnessed an unprecedented shift in Cyrillian Christology, which later became a source of great schism in the Apostolic Church. Following Chalcedon and with the Arab conquest in Egypt, Coptic Christology developed tremendously. Al-Makīn, unlike Cyril of Alexandria, expands his Christology to discuss the peculiarities of anthropology and theology. His Christology veered towards Chalcedonianism, and, in some instances, Nestorianism. This development in Coptic Christology can be viewed as a providentially paved road towards ecumenism between the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox Churches.


We have studied seven patients with noncalculous partial cystic duct obstruction, a syndrome which has not been widely recognized in this country. All seven patients complained of right upper quadrant abdominal pain after meals, but routine oral cholecystography demonstrated normally-filling gallbladders without stones. Using cholecystokinin as a gallbladder stimulant in biliary drainage and cholecystography, we were able to demonstrate impaired gallbladder evacuation due to partial cystic duct obstruction in each instance. Reproduction of the patients' spontaneous pain corroborated the diagnosis. Because of the mechanical nature of the obstruction, cholecystectomy was performed in all patients, followed by lasting symptomatic relief. The term, "cystic duct syndrome" is proposed to designate this condition.


We present a dissipative particle dynamics study of surfactant solutions under shear, which allows us to investigate their rheological properties. We consider a variety of concentrations and phase structures, including micellar solutions and liquid crystal phases. It is shown that the viscosity of micellar solutions increases as a function of concentration, in agreement with what is expected from experimental data. We also show that micelles can exhibit shear-thinning behavior when a shear force is applied, which is a result of micelles breaking down into smaller aggregates. Lamellar and hexagonal phases are found to orientate under the application of shear, in agreement with experimental observations. It is normally suggested that lamellar phases under shear can exhibit a transition between orientations as the shear rate is increased, usually as a result of lower viscosity. We calculate the viscosity for different lamellar phase orientations, showing that, although the viscosity of perpendicular orientations is lower than that of parallel orientations, we do not observe a transition to the perpendicular phase at high shear rates. Finally, we show that the choice of Schmidt number has a significant impact on the results, which is important for determining the correct behavior via simulations.


Background/Aims: Obesity is associated with a 30-50% increased risk of breast-cancer (BC) mortality, most consistently in estrogen receptor (ER) positive disease, through unclear mechanisms. Leptin is a multi-functional protein with key actions on adipose tissue. In pre-clinical studies, leptin stimulates the growth, survival, and progression of BC cells through both estrogen dependent and other (e.g. JAK/STAT, PI3K/Akt, MAPK) pathways. Leptin has also been associated with increased BC risk and poor prognosis. Our aim was to correlate tumor leptin-receptor (OB-R) expression with tissue markers of cell signaling and systemic markers of obesity, inflammation, and metabolism in a cohort of ER+/HER2- BC patients. Methods: From our biorepository, we identified ER+/HER2- BC patients having both blood and tissue samples available. Data included BMI, menopausal status, and family/cancer/medical history, tumor histology, grade, stage, and ER/PgR/HER2 status. We performed blood assays for factors related to inflammation, tumor growth, hormonal regulation, and metabolism (see below). Immunohistochemistry for OB-R, pAkt (S473), pERK (T202/Y204), and insulin-receptor (IR) was performed on archived tissue, and scored for % positive cells and intensity of staining. Allred and H-scores were calculated. Associations with OB-R scores were calculated using Pearson, Spearman, and χ 2 methods. Results: 129 patients were eligible; 69.8% were post-menopausal and mean BMI was 27.8 ± 6.5 kg/m 2 . Most tumors were no-special-type (79%), PgR+ (90%), and node-neg (78%). The tissue expression of OB-R and other markers was scorable in 118 (91%) cases. OB-R was expressed in all 118/118 cancers (Allred score range: 3 to 8; median 7, mean 6.61). High blood leptin did not downregulate OB-R (Spearman R=0), even though leptin was strongly correlated with BMI (Pearson r=0.78, p OB-R correlated with ER (Spearman R = 0.27), PgR (R=0.29), and insulin receptor (R = 0.24), weakly correlated with estradiol (Spearman, R=0.11) and fasting glucose (R=0.18), and negatively correlated with systemic IL-2 (R=-0.11) and IL-6 (R=-0.21). OB-R was not correlated with other blood markers (insulin, HOMA, PAI-1, IL-1ẞ, IL-8, VEGF, EGF, TNF-α,hsCRP, SHBG, or estrogens) or tumor grade. Conclusions: OB-R is highly expressed in breast tumor tissue even in non-obese patients. Although leptin and BMI did not modulate OB-R expression, downstream signaling ( e.g. Akt, ERK) did show a BMI-dependent effect, albeit of limited magnitude. This suggests that leptin acts on breast cancer cells through OB-R activation and downstream Akt/ERK signaling, without a coupled change in total OB-R expression. Further work is needed to elucidate the roles of inflammation, estrogens, and regulatory mechanisms within the PI3K-PTEN and Ras-MAPK cell-signaling networks. The authors wish to acknowledge the generous support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Hold9Em For Life Charity Challenge. Citation Format: Chang MC, Ennis M, Dowling RJO, Stambolic V, Goodwin PJ. Leptin receptor (OB-R) in breast carcinoma tissue: Ubiquitous expression and correlation with leptin-mediated signaling, but not with systemic markers of obesity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-02-03.


In this study in Sweden, six small (<50 ha) and six large farms (>135 ha) participated. The aims of the study were to a) measure differences between small and large farms regarding on-farm landscape heterogeneity, and b) evaluate relations between on-farm landscape heterogeneity and biodiversity, measured as numbers of breeding bird species, bird territories, butterflies, bumblebees, and herbaceous plant species. Sample area of the same size, placed on each farm, was used for the biodiversity assessments and on-farm landscape heterogeneity studies. On-farm landscape heterogeneity was classified with the Shannon–Wiener diversity index. Linear regression was applied to analyze relationships between on-farm landscape heterogeneity and biodiversity indicators. Multivariate regression was used to analyze relations between single bird species and specific on-farm habitats. Small farms had significantly higher on-farm landscape heterogeneity than large farms. Strong positive relations between on-farm landscape heterogeneity and number of breeding birds, butterflies, and herbaceous plant species were found. Total on-farm landscape heterogeneity seems to be more important for bird diversity than do specific landscape elements. The study indicates that, to increase biodiversity, farm size should be taken into consideration.


In this study, heat transfer rate of a nano-confined liquid is controlled by applying an electric field parallel to the heat transfer direction. Molecular Dynamics simulations are performed for deionized water confined between silicon slabs, where their surfaces oppositely charged to create an electric field perpendicular to the silicon wall to promote the electrowetting. Electric field strengths used in this study are 0, 0.18 and 0.35 V/nm. To investigate the effect of electric field on heat transfer, first water density profiles near the silicon walls are examined. Results shows that by applying electric field, water molecules near the silicon walls develop layering, which indicates the increased solid/liquid coupling. With the increasing electric field strength, an increase in the peak of the density layering is observed. Furthermore, heat transfer at the solid/liquid interface is characterized with the Kapitza length values. The results show that applying electric field reduces the interfacial thermal resistance between water and silicon due to the increased solid/liquid coupling and doubles the total heat flux.


Gold questions are a standard mechanism to detect insincere workers on crowdsourcing platforms. They usually rely on the assumption that workers should obtain perfect accuracy on the task. In this work, we are interested in crowdsourcing difficult multi-class visual recognition tasks, for which this assumption is not met, and we propose a novel method for generating gold questions in this context.


A 2-year field study was conducted during the rainy seasons of 1999 and 2000 at Houfa in northern Jordan, to study the performance of two wheat cultivars ACSAD 65 and F8 and their response to hand weeding (practised monthly during the growing seasons) and 2,4-D application at different growth stages. In both growing seasons, no significant differences (P≤0.05) in grain yield were recorded between the cultivars studied. Differences in weed number and fresh weight were significant between the various treatments in both seasons. Hand weeding proved the best method of weed control. In both growing seasons, yield reductions occurred when 2,4-D was applied to wheat, irrespective of the stage of application. Hand weeding treatment was more effective than 2,4-D application in suppressing weed growth.


In this article the author examines, in brief, the existing tax system in India but gradually shifts to explaining Goods and Services Tax, which is to be inducted in the Indian system soon. Though the Parliament, Government appointed Task Force and Empowered Committees have decided in favour of GST induction several public policy think tanks, despite their inclination towards the new tax, have cited roadblocks which the authorities may encounter. With many federal states opposing the conditions mentioned in the 115th Constitution Amendment Bill which seeks to implement the Goods and Services tax, it still remains a distant dream. This article studies the impact of GST in the Indian framework and by what standards would it ameliorate the nation's high fiscal deficit once it is put into operation.


To enable a fast transition of the global energy sector towards operation with 100% renewable and clean energy technology, the geological storage of hydrogen in depleted gas fields or salt caverns has been considered as a strong candidate for the future energy storage required for limiting global warming to well below 2 °C, as agreed under the Paris Agreement. As such, understanding the impact of injected hydrogen on the geochemical equilibrium in these storage reservoirs is critical. Here, using our bespoke high pressure/temperature batch reaction vessels we investigate the potential effects of hydrogen injection into 3 different sandstones reservoirs. These experiments were conducted at reservoir temperature and at different injection pressures from 1 to 20 MPa with salinities from 0 to 10 weight% over different time periods from 1 to 8 weeks. Our experiments reveal that there is no hydrogen-associated geochemical reaction for the selected sandstones. Although changing reservoir pressure slightly affected the mineral dissolution equilibria at ppm level for hydrogen injection scenarios, the fluctuations of mineral dissolution in water associated with pressure change have a negligible influence on the efficiency of geological hydrogen storage. Therefore, based on the analysis of water chemistry before and after the mentioned experiments, we demonstrate that from geochemical point of view geological storage of hydrogen in these sandstone reservoirs is safe and we don't expect any hydrogen loss due to geochemical reactions.


Background: There is a global trend towards early onset of sexual activity among youths with consequences of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies. The study was therefore conducted to assess sexual activity, knowledge and perception of risk, use of protective measures and prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviour among students of tertiary institutions in Kano, Northern Nigeria.
Methods: Structured, close-ended questionnaires were administered to 300 students of Bayero University, Kano and the Federal College of Education, Kano to collect the relevant information using a cross-sectional descriptive study design.
Results: Out of the 300 respondents, 159 (53.0%) have had sexual intercourse at least once. The mean age at sexual debut was 18 ± 2 years. Although all respondents knew that unprotected sexual intercourse is associated with STIs, there were still misconceptions about the transmission of HIV and cure for AIDS. One hundred and sixty eight (56.0%) of the 300 students had inadequate knowledge about what constitute high-risk sexual behaviour. Only 39 (24.5%) of the sexually active respondents reported using a condom always while 45 (28.3%) never used it. The most common high-risk sexual behaviour among the students was multiple sexual partners which was practised by 73 (51.7%)) and anal sexual intercourse 17 (12.1%) among the sexually active respondents.
Conclusion: In the light of the high level of sexual activity detected, it is recommended that family life or sexuality education, starting early, through primary, secondary and tertiary education be institutionalised. This is to equip our youths with correct information to enable them make informed choices about responsible sexual life. KEY WORDS: Sexual behaviour; Tertiary students; Kano; Nigeria Journal of Community Medicine & Primary Health Care Vol.16(2) 2004: 17-22


Link proteins were identified immunologically in human articular-cartilage protein preparations from various individuals. Irrespective of age, all cartilages contained three link proteins of mol.wts. 48000, 44000 and 41000. However, with increasing age, multiple additional components of mol.wts. 26000-30000 were commonly observed under conditions where disulphide bonds were reduced.


Aims: To investigate whether human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (hAD-MSC) transplantation would ameliorate the healing process of a rabbit model of retinal holes. Methods: Retinal holes were made in the left eyes of 20 New Zealand white rabbits and randomly filled by hAD-MSCs (transplantation group) or phosphate-buffered saline (control group), respectively. Frequency-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan was performed on days 2, 4, 12, 20 and 32 postoperatively, and immunofluorescence was performed on days 12 and 32 to further identify the cell types of the injured area. Results: Frequency-domain OCT scan showed that the mean center thickness of the reconstructed tissue reached a normal level on day 12 in the transplantation group, while in the control group, the mean center thickness was normal on day 32. Furthermore, compared to the control group where only anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein-labeled glial-like cells were detected, donor-derived opsin-positive photoreceptor-like cells and protein kinase C-positive bipolar-like cells were sporadically found in the transplantation group. Conclusions: Transplanted hAD-MSCs could engraft in the retinal hole of a rabbit model, and clearly accelerated the healing process and ameliorated injury recovery.


Mississippi Valley-type mineralization from two major host formations in the central Appalachians was studied in order to gain a better understanding of depositional conditions, sources of ore constituents, and the distribution of mineralizing fluids in the region. Sulfur isotope data obtained in this study and from the literature (Ault and Kulp, 1960; Howe, 1981; Crawford and Beales, 1983; LeHuray, 1984; Wilbur et al., 1990) show that mineralization in each formation acquired sulfur from sources of similar isotopic composition. Barite deposits in the Beckmantown Group have (delta 34 S values ranging from 25 to 36 per mil; the values probably closely reflect the isotopic composition of the sulfur-bearing fluid involved in the barite formation. Sulfide deposits in this formation have more variable compositions and more complex isotopic systematics. In both the Timberville district and Nittany Arch area, main-stage sulfide minerals have delta 34 S values ranging from about 15 to 30 per mil. Each district also has a smaller, isotopically lighter substage of sphalerite mineralization that has (delta 34 S values between 1 and 19 per mil. Sulfate minerals in the Nittany Arch area are isotopically heavier than the sulfides, with delta 34 S values between 30 and 40 per mil. The lightest sulfur in the central Appalachian Mississippi Valley-type districts is found in the Friedensville district, where delta 34 S values of sulfide minerals range between -9 and +1 per mil. Sulfide minerals from the two Silurian Tuscarora-Shawangunk-hosted deposits have similar (delta 34 S values of 21 to 35 per mil. Minor amounts of sulfate minerals in this formation are isotopically heavy with delta 34 S values between 34 and 43 per mil.New fluid inclusion data were also obtained from the Timberville district and reveal the presence of at least two distinct fluids involved in mineralization-a more saline or calcium-rich fluid with final melting temperatures between -42 degrees and -29 degrees C, and a less saline or more calcium-poor fluid with final melting temperatures of -24 degrees to -12 degrees C. Homogenization temperatures of both inclusion types ranged for the most part between 100 degrees and 170 degrees C.Geologic evidence suggests that the Beckmantown Group and Tuscarora-Shawangunk Formations were part of distinct palcoaquifers, and together with the sulfur isotope data, also suggests that the source of sulfur for Mississippi Valley-type deposits in each palcoaquifer was cormate (formational) fluids derived from seawater, or alternatively in the case of the Beckmantown Group, intraformational evaporites. Furthermore, evidence of mixing and a temporal increase in the oxidation state of mineralizing conditions in at least two of the districts suggests that much of the Mississippi Valley-type mineralization in the central Appalachian region may be the result of mixing of oxidizing tectonically driven Zn-Pb or Ba-rich fluids with sulfur-rich fluids of varying oxidation state present in the Beckmantown Group and Tuscarora-Shawangunk Formations.


The aim was to research the antimicrobial effect of the extracts of Kiwi Fruit roots with different solvents on the common plant microbes. The bacteria cake method was used to study the antimicrobial capability of Kiwi Fruit roots. The extracts have anti-bacterial action on Rhixoctonia cerealis, Fusarium gram inearum, Rhizoctonia solani and Setosphaeria turcica, especially the extract from distilled water has the strongest anti-bacterial action on Rhixoctonia cerealis and Fusarium gram inearum, the extract from ether has the strongest anti-bacterial action on Fusarium gram inearum, the MIC all were 10 mg/ml The extracts had different antimicrobial effect when pH value was from 5 to 8. The extracts of Kiwi Fruit roots could inhibit the 4 pathogenic microorganism, and the antibacterial activity was affected by pH value greatly.


Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the impact of MetS on survival has not been evaluated. A retrospective review was performed on 596 consecutive Chinese patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who received surgery between January 2005 and October 2007. The clinical data and pretreatment information related to MetS were reviewed. The impact of MetS on overall survival (OS) was estimated by Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses. MetS was a significant and independent predictor for better survival in patients with resectable ESCC. The 3-year OS and 5-year OS for patients with and without MetS were 75.0% versus 57.8% and 65.1% versus 44.6%, respectively (P = 0.005 in the univariate analysis, P = 0.010 in multivariate analysis). However, there was no apparent influence of any single component of MetS on OS. The other independent prognostic factors identified in the univariate analysis included the following: gender, smoking status, alcohol use, the extent of radical surgical resection, T and N stage, and tumor differentiation. The results of the multivariate analysis included the extent of radical surgery resection, T and N stage, and tumor differentiation. MetS was also associated with greater tumor cell differentiation (P = 0.036). There was no association found between MetS status and postoperative complications. MetS is an independent prognostic factor for OS in patients with ESCC and is associated with better tumor cell differentiation.


Reportedly, nearly half of the Nepalese are Toxoplasma seropositive. However, neither the prevalence of congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) nor the confirmed case to CT is reported from Nepal yet. In this case report, we report the first case of CT in a 53 days old full term male baby (weight: 2,600 grams) delivered by caesarean section. The baby had hepatosplenomegaly and optic nerve coloboma with large scar in the right eye. The TORCH panel test showed significantly high Toxoplasma IgM antibody level (5.77 OD Ratio) compared with IgM antibody level against other agents. The baby was diagnosed as a case of CT and treatment was started accordingly. The baby, however, did not improve with the treatment and died after six days. The immediate cause of death was cardiorespiratory failure with antecedent cause of liver failure, renal insufficiency with thrombocytopenia.


The influence of a 9-week instructional program on locomotor and object control skill development of preschoolers who are at risk of developmental delay was investigated. The motor skill instruction group (n = 33) received 18, 35-min lessons; the comparison group (n = 30) received the regular prekindergarten program. Pre and posttest scores on the locomotor and object control subscales of the Test of Gross Motor Development (Ulrich, 1985) were obtained. A Group by Gender MANOVA with repeated measures yielded a significant Group by Time interaction. The intervention group performed significantly better than the comparison group from pre to posttest for both locomotor and object control skills. Additionally, this group had significantly higher posttest scores than the comparison group.


InGaAsSb/AlGaAsSb multi quantum well ridge waveguide lasers at 2.1 μm wavelength are fabricated by using molecular beam epitaxy. Continuous wave performance and tunability of the lasers are evaluated in a wide temperature range extend to 80°C. Output power of the laser at 30°C exceeds 30 mW/facet at driving current of 0.5 A, the characteristic temperature T0 is 89 K in 0–50°C range. No fast degradation is observed in accelerated aging test at 90°C for those lasers with lower Al content in cladding layers. Temperature tunability of the lasers is 1.36 nm/K. Single-mode output with side mode suppression ratios greater than 20 dB is achieved in a certain driving current region; current tunability is 8×10−3 nm/mA regardless of mode hopping.


Dr. Tessier often stated that the correction of well-established posttraumatic deformities was one of the most difficult. Yet consistently and repeatedly, he was able to achieve magnificent results especially for fractures of the orbitonasal region. The principles that he taught are highlighted in this article.


Indian systems of medicine are Siddha, Ayurveda and Unani. Among them, Siddha system of medicine is being practiced in southern parts in India. Siddha has its strong foundation of science laid by siddhars and other sages who aimed at attaining salvation and hence formulated medicines for a longer and healtier life span. Among the 4448 diseases mentioned by them, Kalladaippu (Urolithiasis) is one of the reasons for obstruction in the urinary system and hence producing low urinary output. Many medicines have been prescribed for this disease and Silasathu paavanai is one among them. The present study aims to analyze drug physico chemically and to explore its anti microbial activity. The drug Silasathu paavanai contains essential elements which are considered to be stone inhibitors and the aqueous extract has good anti microbial activity against E.coli which is the commonest urinary tract infection among patients with urolithiasis.


Fructus Psoraleae extract is used in China for the treatment of bone diseases. The objective of the study was to investigate the systemic effect of Fructus Psoraleae extract consumption on bone histomorphology. Sixteen 8‐week‐old male BALB/c mice were divided into control and experimental groups. In the control group, eight mice were fed daily with distilled water. In the experimental group, eight mice were fed daily with distilled water mixed with Fructus Psoraleae extract. The mice were kept for 5 weeks and then killed. Using micro‐computed tomography, 20 micro‐tomographic slices with a separation of 0.25 mm were acquired to cover the proximal end of the left tibia of each mouse. Quantitative morphometry of the bone structure was performed. The results showed that consumption of Fructus Psoraleae extract significantly increased the bone volume/tissue volume ratio by 11.8%. The bone trabeculae increased by 7.1% in thickness so that the bone density was increased. To conclude, Fructus Psoraleae extract taken orally increases bone density and alters bone histomorphology. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Variation in de-adoption of ineffective or unsafe treatments is not well-understood. We examined de-adoption of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) in anemia treatment among patients with chronic kidney diseases (CKD) following new clinical evidence of harm and ineffectiveness (the TREAT trial) and the FDA's revision of its safety warning. We used an interrupted time series approach to estimate changes in use of epoetin alfa (EPO) and darbepoetin alfa (DPO) in the commercial and Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) populations. We also examined how changes in both trends and levels of use were associated with physicians' characteristics. Study cohort included patients with CKD stages 3 to 5 during 2007-2015. Use of DPO and EPO declined over the study period. There were no consistent changes in DPO trend across insurance groups, but the level of DPO use decreased right after the FDA revision in all groups. The decline in EPO use trend was faster after the TREAT trial for all groups. Nephrologists were largely more responsive to evidence than primary care physicians. Differences by physician's gender, and age were not consistent across insurance populations and types of ESA.


Objective: Global-local visuospatial processing has been widely investigated in both healthy and clinical populations. Recent studies indicated that individuals with ADHD lack a global processing bias. However, the extant literature regarding global-local processing style focuses solely on the visual modality. Methods: ADHD (N = 21) and typically developed (TD) controls (N = 24) underwent an auditory global-local task, in which they had to decide whether the melody is ascending or descending in global or local conditions. Results: TD controls exhibited a classic global processing bias in the auditory task. The ADHD group exhibited no global processing bias, indicating similar processing for global and local dimensions, implying that individuals with ADHD are distracted by incongruent information in global and local conditions similarly, in both visual and auditory tasks. Conclusion: A lack of global processing bias in ADHD is not limited to the visuospatial modality and likely reflects a broader and more general processing style.


Association of different psychological and neurological disturbances with gluten intake in coeliac patients was repeatedly described. In the present study gluten-induced enteropathy was elicited in rats by prolonged intragastric administration of gliadin from birth to 10 weeks. Various neurological (contact and visual placing reactions, equilibrium on horizontal bar) and behavioral tests (open field and Morris water maze task) were used to assess the possible deficits. No substantial differences were found in the behavior of rats fed with gliadin compared with those fed with bovine serum albumin (control group). The only difference found between control and experimental rats was that gliadin-fed rats showed slightly higher emotionality in the open field test. It is concluded that prolonged application of gliadin to young rats at enteropathy-inducing dosages does not modify their behavior.


| Poultry production systems show great interest especially in the last decade. However, using intensive management systems leads to increasing the incidence of infectious diseases. One of the most dangerous infectious fungal diseases is aspergillosis. This disease has a negative impact on the poultry industry with severe economic losses. There are several species of Aspergillus fungi that affect birds of different ages. Poor environment and hygienic conditions surrounding birds in the hatcheries or farms are important sources of infection. Affected birds with Aspergillus species show respiratory signs and lesions as well as brain and skin affections. Aspergillosis is an important occupational zoonotic mycosis that affects mainly persons and workers who are in direct contact with the infected birds. The respiratory picture of aspergillosis in human s is usually very severe especially in immunocompromised patients. Diagnosis of aspergillosis depends on conventional isolation and identification of the causative fungi, serological detection of antibodies or use molecular identification techniques. The application of proper hygienic measures with good environment al conditions surrounding birds is very critical to prevent such infection. Treatment of affected birds using specific antifungal drugs is useless especially in severe cases or in later stages. Human s should take all sanitary precautions during handling with birds and the surroundings. Affected persons could be treated using specific antifungal preparations. Therefore this review article spotlight the present situation of aspergillosis all over the world as well as in Egypt . The article focuses on the fungi, susceptibility, and transmission of infection, clinical picture in birds, human infection, diagnosis as well as prevention and control measures.


The appearance and the movements of immune cells are driven by their environment. As a reaction to a pathogen invasion, the immune cells are recruited to the site of inflammation and are activated to prevent a further spreading of the invasion. This is also reflected by changes in the behavior and the morphological appearance of the immune cells. In cancerous tissue, similar morphokinetic changes have been observed in the behavior of microglial cells: intra-tumoral microglia have less complex 3-dimensional shapes, having less-branched cellular processes, and move more rapidly than those in healthy tissue. The examination of such morphokinetic properties requires complex 3D microscopy techniques, which can be extremely challenging when executed longitudinally. Therefore, the recording of a static 3D shape of a cell is much simpler, because this does not require intravital measurements and can be performed on excised tissue as well. However, it is essential to possess analysis tools that allow the fast and precise description of the 3D shapes and allows the diagnostic classification of healthy and pathogenic tissue samples based solely on static, shape-related information. Here, we present a toolkit that analyzes the discrete Fourier components of the outline of a set of 2D projections of the 3D cell surfaces via Self-Organizing Maps. The application of artificial intelligence methods allows our framework to learn about various cell shapes as it is applied to more and more tissue samples, whilst the workflow remains simple.


Millions of people use platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other mass media. Due to the accessibility of these platforms, they are often used to establish a narrative, conduct propaganda, and disseminate misinformation. This work proposes an approach that uses state-of-the-art NLP techniques to extract features from video captions (subtitles). To evaluate our approach, we utilize a publicly accessible and labeled dataset for classifying videos as misinformation or not. The motivation behind exploring video captions stems from our analysis of videos metadata. Attributes such as the number of views, likes, dislikes, and comments are ineffective as videos are hard to differentiate using this information. Using caption dataset, the proposed models can classify videos among three classes (Misinformation, Debunking Misinformation, and Neutral) with 0.85 to 0.90 F1-score. To emphasize the relevance of the misinformation class, we re-formulate our classification problem as a two-class classification - Misinformation vs. others (Debunking Misinformation and Neutral). In our experiments, the proposed models can classify videos with 0.92 to 0.95 F1-score and 0.78 to 0.90 AUC ROC.


Productivity in the Selective Laser Melting Process (SLM) is directly related with the thickness of the powder bed that is repeatedly applied, at every increment, in the growing of consolidated material in the additive manufacturing process. Although most of the relevant phenomena (limited diffusivity associated to particles contact, phase changes, gradients of surface tension associated with Marangoni convection, or even recoil pressure) are considered in the models with small bed thicknesses (roughly 20 µm ? 40 µm), in the case of larger thicknesses (between 100 µm and 200 µm) these factors strongly influence the size and shape of the fusion bath leading to a non trivial geometry of the final consolidated material. The present work proposes the use of the Arbitrary Lagrangean-Eulerian method (ALE method) to solve the thermal and Navier-Stokes equations in the frame of a free-moving discretization to predict simultaneously the space-time temperature evolution and the associated fusion bath dynamics. It allows for using a continuous domain to represent the powder bed, which, instead of a particle model approach, is advantageously compatible with realistic process parameters, where long paths are covered by the laser. The model was validated with experimental data using Inconel as working material, showing a good degree of agreement.


Studies on human cell hybrids between a cervical carcinoma cell line, HeLa, and normal fibroblasts have indicated that their tumorigenicity is under the control of a putative tumor suppressor on chromosome 11. We have previously demonstrated that a tumorigenic cell hybrid CGL4 expresses a larger glucose transporter, GLUT1, due to altered glycosylation when compared to the nontumorigenic counterpart CGL1. In this study, we demonstrated this glycosylation change in GLUT1 in gamma-ray-induced tumorigenic mutants (GIMs) isolated from CGL1 cells as expressing a tumor-associated surface antigen, intestinal alkaline phosphatase. In contrast, GLUT1 in the gamma-irradiated nontumorigenic control cells (CONs) did not show this alteration. In accordance with this glycosylation change, affinity to 2-deoxyglucose in these GIM clones was increased by about twofold when compared to the nontumorigenic CONs. These results suggest a close correlation between the glycosylation change in GLUT1 with increased affinity to D-glucose and tumorigenicity of these human cell hybrids.