Chlordecone (CLD) is an organochlorine pesticide (OCP) that is currently banned but still contaminates ecosystems in the French Caribbean. Because OCPs are known to increase the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), we tested whether chronic low-level intoxication with CLD could reproduce certain key characteristics of Parkinsonism-like neurodegeneration. For that, we used culture systems of mouse midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons and glial cells, together with the nematode C. elegans as an in vivo model organism. We established that CLD kills cultured DA neurons in a concentration- and time-dependent manner while exerting no direct proinflammatory effects on glial cells. DA cell loss was not impacted by the degree of maturation of the culture. The use of fluorogenic probes revealed that CLD neurotoxicity was the consequence of oxidative stress-mediated insults and mitochondrial disturbances. In C. elegans worms, CLD exposure caused a progressive loss of DA neurons associated with locomotor deficits secondary to alterations in food perception. L-DOPA, a molecule used for PD treatment, corrected these deficits. Cholinergic and serotoninergic neuronal cells were also affected by CLD in C. elegans, although to a lesser extent than DA neurons. Noticeably, CLD also promoted the phosphorylation of the aggregation-prone protein tau (but not of α-synuclein) both in midbrain cell cultures and in a transgenic C. elegans strain expressing a human form of tau in neurons. In summary, our data suggest that CLD is more likely to promote atypical forms of Parkinsonism characterized by tau pathology than classical synucleinopathy-associated PD.


Electron tunnelling in a transverse magnetic field is studied taking into account the electron-phonon interaction. When scattered on a phonon, the electron shifts the oscillator centre in the tunnelling direction, which decreases the field-related magnetic barrier and increases the probability of tunnelling considerably. For tunnelling over large distances, the most effective processes involve multiple scattering by phonons. An expression has been found for the resistivity of the Miller-Abrahams network element for hopping conductivity with regard to magnetic-barrier suppression upon scattering by phonons. The exponential temperature and voltage dependences of the tunnel junction conductance in a magnetic field parallel to a dielectric interlayer have been obtained. The contribution associated with the tunnelling processes involving scattering by two phonons to the relaxation of edge-state populations in the quantum Hall effect regime has been found.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate recognition and attitudes about social service activity(SSA) of nurses. Method: This was a descriptive study. The data was collected from July 15 to 31, 2002 by using a self-report questionnaire consisting of general characteristics(15items), recognition(24items) and attitude(23items) about SSA. The questionnaire was sent to 711 nurses of 38 hospitals in the Gyounggi province area, and 664 questionnaires were returned. The answer rate was 93.4%. The data was analyzed by the SPSS 12.0 Win program. Result: Seventy-one percent of nurses had a SSA experience during university, but only 14.2% nurses participate in SSA now. The mean score of recognition of SSA was 3.58(±0.45), and that of attitude was 3.70(±0.42). The relationship between recognition and attitude had a positive correlation(r=.398, p=.000), the higher the score of recognition, the higher the score of attitude. Conclusion: From these results, to improve nurses` participation in SSA, research to investigate the barrier factors of SSA participation in spite of the high level of recognition and attitude is needed. Programs for nurses to participate in SSA and systemic management should be set up.


Commercial dairy farming has good potential for employment generation both in rural and peri-urban areas besides being a source of liquidity and insurance against crop failure. In other words, dairy provides employment throughout the year. Dairy farming can also be taken as entrepreneurial activity on commercial basis as a main occupation around peri-urban centres, wherein the demand for milk is high.  Keeping this in view the present study was conducted to study the Entrepreneurship among Commercial Dairy Farmers in four districts of Maharashtra. A total of 240 respondents comprising 161 small, 56 medium and 23 large dairy farmers were selected by proportionate random sampling technique. The results revealed that majority of the dairy farmers possessed medium entrepreneurial behaviour. The moderate level of traits of entrepreneurial behaviour was possessed by the respondents. Feed back usage, manageability, knowledgeability attributes of entrepreneurial behaviour were found as most important attributes of entrepreneurial behaviour. Entrepreneurial behaviour was positively and significantly related with education, social participation, annual income, mass media exposure, communication behaviour and economic motivation.


If marker alleles that identify a gene for introgression are not completely unique to the different base populations, the trait allele can be lost quickly during the process of backcrossing. This study considers ways to deal with incompletely informative markers in order to retain the desired allele. Selection was based on the probability of the presence of the desired (introgressed) trait allele, which was calculated for each marker genotype, using a single marker or a diallelic or triallelic marker bracket. The percentage of individuals retaining the introgressed allele was calculated over five generations of backcrossing, for selected fractions between 0 and 1, for marker alleles that could occur in both base populations. The best results were obtained with a rather large selected fraction, when all individuals, heterozygous and homozygous for the most desirable allele at the marker loci, were selected. Additional selection against marker homozygotes (which might have the highest probability of carrying the desired-trait allele, but produce uninformative gametes) altered the optimum selected fraction, making the selected fraction more consistently inversely related to a better retention of the desired-trait allele. A marker bracket was found to give a better retention of the desired-trait allele than a single marker and triallelic markers were better than diallelic markers, giving a retention of almost 50%. The earlier that preselection of parents (on informativeness) took place the better the overall result; preselection should occur preferably in the base populations. Preselection could make marker alleles unique to alternative base populations and markers would effectively become fully informative. Selection in the base populations might not be possible or not desirable, for example, because of the available number of individuals. This is unlikely to be a problem when parents are paired up to exclude any common marker alleles.


Severe liver failure, including acute liver failure and acute-on-chronic liver failure, is associated with high mortality, and many patients die despite aggressive medical therapy. While liver transplantation is a viable treatment option for liver failure patients, a large proportion of these patients die given the shortage in the liver donation and the severity of illness, leading to death while waiting for a liver transplant. Extracorporeal liver support devices, including molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS), have been developed as bridge to transplantation (bridge for patients who are decompensating while waiting for liver transplantation) and bridge to recovery (for whom recovery is deemed reasonable). In addition to its uses in acute liver failure and acute-on-chronic liver failure, the MARS system has also been applied in various clinical settings, such as drug overdosing and poisoning and intractable cholestatic pruritus refractory to pharmacological treatment. This review aims to discuss the controversies, potential benefits, practicalities, and disadvantages of using MARS in clinical practice.


This research work was conducted to assess the concentration of heavy metals namely: Co, Cu, Cd, Fe, Mn, Pb and Ni. The concentration of Cadmium, Copper, Cobalt, Iron, Lead and Nickel were determined in sediments of Madna stream, Kubokun village, Abuja using ten different sites 200m apart. The elemental determination was carried out using wet digestion with concentrated HNO3 and HCl and analysis with atomic absorption spectrometer. The concentration of heavy metals follow the trend Fe > Co > Ni > Pb > Cu > Cd. For essential element it is Fe > Co > Cu, while the non essential elements has the trend, Ni > Pb > Cd. Result of the analyses show that the concentrations of all the heavy metals determined except for copper were above the WHO maximum acceptable concentration. Thus, indicating the tendency of pollution from both anthropogenic and natural sources. The level of Pd correlates positively with Co and Fe. Cu correlates negatively with Ni and Co. There is statistical significance in the level of Fe in the sediment compared to Pb, and that in Ni compared to Cu.


We report a 3 month old boy with tetraploidy, found in peripheral blood and skin fibroblast cultures, with severely delayed growth and neurodevelopment, and with a cleft lip; these findings have not been described before. This report brings to seven the total number of liveborn infants with a 92,XXYY karyotype.


BACKGROUND
Intervention studies have demonstrated that, in smokers, beta-carotene supplements had a deleterious effect on risk of lung cancer and may have a deleterious effect on digestive cancers as well. We investigated a potential interaction between beta-carotene intake and smoking on the risk of tobacco-related cancers in women.

METHODS
A total of 59,910 women from the French Etude Epidémiologique de Femmes de la Mutuelle Générale de l'Education Nationale (E3N) prospective investigation were studied from 1994. After a median follow-up of 7.4 years, 700 women had developed cancers known to be associated with smoking. Diet, supplement use, and smoking status at baseline were assessed by self-report. beta-carotene intake was classified into four groups: first (low intake), second, and third tertiles of dietary intake, and use of supplements (high intake). Unadjusted and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for cancer risk. All statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS
Among never smokers, multivariable hazard ratios of all smoking-related cancers were 0.72 (95% CI = 0.57 to 0.92), 0.80 (95% CI = 0.64 to 1.01), and 0.44 (95% CI = 0.18 to 1.07) for the second and third tertiles of dietary intake, and high beta-carotene intake, respectively, compared with low intake (Ptrend = .03). Among ever smokers, multivariable hazard ratios were 1.43 (95% CI = 1.05 to 1.96), 1.20 (95% CI = 0.86 to 1.67), and 2.14 (95% CI = 1.16 to 3.97) for the second and third tertiles of dietary intake, and high beta-carotene intake, respectively, compared with low intake (Ptrend = .09). Tests for interaction between beta-carotene intake and smoking were statistically significant (Ptrend =.017). In this population, the absolute rates over 10 years in those with low and high beta-carotene intake were 181.8 and 81.7 cases per 10,000 women in never smokers and 174.0 and 368.3 cases per 10,000 women in ever smokers.

CONCLUSIONS
beta-carotene intake was inversely associated with risk of tobacco-related cancers among nonsmokers with a statistically significant dose-dependent relationship, whereas high beta-carotene intake was directly associated with risk among smokers.


Axonal regeneration and remyelination of peripheral motor neurons (MNs) are critical for restoring neuromuscular motor function after injury or peripheral neuropathy. We examined whether optogenetically mediated light stimulation (OMLS) could enhance the axon outgrowth and myelination of MNs using three‐dimensional motor neuron–Schwann cell (MN–SC) coculture on a microfluidic biochip. The biochip was designed to allow SCs to interact with the axons of MNs, while preventing direct contact between SCs and the cell bodies of MNs. Following coculture with SCs on the microfluidic biochip, MNs were transfected with a light‐sensitive channelrhodopsin gene. Transfected MNs subjected to repeated light stimulation (20 Hz, 1 hr) produced significantly longer axons than nontransfected MNs. OMLS of MNs greatly increased the number of myelin basic protein (MBP)‐expressing SCs, promoting the initiation of myelination of MNs. Ultrastructurally, OMLS of MNs markedly enhanced the thickness of the compact myelin sheath around the MN axons such that the average thickness was closer to that of the theoretical estimates in vivo. Thus, the MN–SC coculture model on a microfluidic biochip augmented by OMLS of MNs is a feasible platform for studying the relationship of neuronal activity with regrowth and remyelination.


This article presents the results of simulation for a special type of vortex tubes – self-vacuuming vortex tube (SVVT), for which extreme values of temperature separation and vacuum are realized. The main results of this study are the flow structure in the SVVT and energy loss estimations on oblique shock waves, gas friction, instant expansion and organization of vortex bundles in SVVT.


We study the thermodynamic properties of a system of two-level dipoles that are coupled ultrastrongly to a single cavity mode. By using exact numerical and approximate analytical methods, we evaluate the free energy of this system at arbitrary interaction strengths and discuss strong-coupling modifications of derivative quantities such as the specific heat or the electric susceptibility. From this analysis we identify the lowest-order cavity-induced corrections to those quantities in the collective ultrastrong coupling regime and show that for even stronger interactions the presence of a single cavity mode can strongly modify extensive thermodynamic quantities of a large ensemble of dipoles. In this non-perturbative coupling regime we also observe a significant shift of the ferroelectric phase transition temperature and a characteristic broadening and collapse of the black-body spectrum of the cavity mode. Apart from a purely fundamental interest, these general insights will be important for identifying potential applications of ultrastrong-coupling effects, for example, in the field of quantum chemistry or for realizing quantum thermal machines.


The orbito-frontal cortex and postcommissural MFB lesions evoked two major effects. The first one consisted in an increased need for light stimulation while the second one concerned changes in anxiety level with different results depending on the lesion location (cortical ot subcortical). The second effect is in agreement with P. Simonov's hypothesis concerning the different configurations of the CNS structures. Upon destruction of the orbito-frontal area, the dominant role in behaviour regulation is taken over by the "emotional part" of the brain, whereas the destruction of the postcommissural MFB (reduction of the amygdalar influence on the hypothalamus) creates conditions for functional prevalence of the "informational brain".


Activity of the CFTR channel is regulated by phosphorylation of its regulatory domain (RD). In a previous study, we developed a bicistronic construct called DeltaR-Split CFTR, which encodes the front and back halves of CFTR as separate polypeptides without the RD. These fragments assemble to form a constitutively active CFTR channel. Coexpression of the third fragment corresponding to the missing RD restores regulation by PKA, and this is associated with dramatically enhanced binding of the phosphorylated RD. In the present study, we examined the effect of PKC phosphorylation on this PKA-induced interaction. We report here that PKC alone enhanced association of the RD with DeltaR-Split CFTR and that binding was further enhanced when the RD was phosphorylated by both kinases. Mutation of all seven PKC consensus sequences on the RD (7CA-RD) did not affect its association under basal (unphosphorylated) conditions but abolished phosphorylation-induced binding by both kinases. Iodide efflux responses provided further support for the essential role of RD binding in channel regulation. The basal activity of DeltaR-Split/7CA-RD channels was similar to that of DeltaR-Split/wild type (WT)-RD channels, whereas cAMP-stimulated iodide efflux was greatly diminished by removal of the PKC sites, indicating that 7CA-RD binding maintains channels in an inactive state that is unresponsive to PKA. These results suggest a novel mechanism for CFTR regulation in which PKC modulates PKA-induced domain-domain interactions.


A sequential M-estimation algorithm is proposed as an alternative to sequential least squares (LS). Being an approximation to exact M-estimation, the proposed technique is robust to non-Gaussian noise and outperforms sequential LS. A low-cost technique is introduced for initialization. We also show that sequential LS is a special case of the proposed algorithm.


To monitor structural changes during the binding of Pi to the active site of mammalian alkaline phosphatase in water medium, reaction-induced infrared spectroscopy was used. The interaction of Pi with alkaline phosphatase was triggered by a photorelease of ATP from the inactive P(3)-[1-(2-nitrophenyl)]ethyl ester of ATP. After photorelease, ATP was sequentially hydrolyzed by alkaline phosphatase giving rise to adenosine and three Pi. Although a phosphodiesterase activity was detected prior the photorelease of ATP, it was possible to monitor the structural effects induced by Pi binding to alkaline phosphatase. Interactions of Pi with alkaline phosphatase were evidenced by weak infrared changes around 1631 and at 1639 cm(-1), suggesting a small distortion of peptide carbonyl backbone. This result indicates that the motion required for the formation of the enzyme-phosphate complex is minimal on the part of alkaline phosphatase, consistent with alkaline phosphatase being an almost perfect enzyme. Photoproduct 2-nitrosoacetophenone may bind to alkaline phosphatase in a site other than the active site of bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase and than the uncompetitive binding site of L-Phe in bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase, affecting one-two amino acid residues.


Phenylalanine 87 of Bacillus megaterium cytochrome P450 BM3, a residue close to the heme in the substrate binding pocket, has been replaced by alanine by site-directed mutagenesis. The substitution had no effect on the rate of hydroxylation of laurate and increased the affinity for laurate of both the intact enzyme and its heme domain by 2.6-6-fold in the ferric state. NMR paramagnetic relaxation measurements showed that in the initial ferric enzyme-substrate complex, where the substrate binds relatively far from the heme, the substitution had no effect on the position or orientation of the bound substrate. However, in the next intermediate in the catalytic cycle, the reduced enzyme, the position of the bound substrate was altered so that the terminal methyl group was 3.1 A from the iron in the mutant, compared to 5.1 A in the wild-type enzyme. Analysis of the products of the action of the enzyme on laurate and myristate showed that the mutant catalyzed hydroxylation almost exclusively at the omega position, in marked contrast to the wild-type enzyme, with which no hydroxylation at this position was observed.


A mobile ad hoc network is a wireless multihop network without any existing infrastructure. Thus when one node wants to transmit data to another node, it should depend on other nodes to forward it. In such a networking environment, the movement of highly mobile nodes may frequently result in the link breakdown, thus causing network inefficiency and data loss. In this paper, we develop a simple heuristic mechanism to characterize the instant mobility of network nodes. We assume that all network nodes can move arbitrarily, and none of them is equipped with any positioning device (such as the GPS system). Each mobile node is (at any time) classified as either a low mobility node or a high mobility node. A mobile node estimates its own mobility type by comparing the signal strength of consecutive received messages sent by its low mobility neighboring nodes. It then broadcasts this mobility type information to its neighbors. The mobility estimation algorithm is thus fully distributed and self organized. We then apply the estimated mobility characteristics to the construction of the end-to-end routing path. Two methods of selecting low mobility nodes as the primary intermediate routing nodes are presented. Performance evaluations via simulations have demonstrated the robustness of such a mobile awareness algorithm.


Arguably the world's most articulate and authoritative maritime historian, John Maxtone-Graham documents SS United States, her design, construction and seventeen years of impeccable service. He introduces us to dozens of passengers, famous and infamous, as well as captains and crew. The last great American ocean liner, SS United States could be converted to a 14,000-man troop carrier and was capable of attaining a speed of over 40 knots (although in her luxury Atlantic crossings the ship was much slower). Sadly, jet travel put an end to ocean crossings and the all-aluminium ship rests in Philadelphia while groups of fans continue to try to repurpose it.


As one of the signal transduction pathways related to myocardial remodeling, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) possibly play an important role in ischemic heart disease, but it is still unknown whether myocardial MAPKs are activated in the non-ischemic region of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Therefore, the present study investigated the myocardial activity of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), c-Jun NH2 terminal kinases (JNKs) and p38MAPK during the acute phase of an infarction of the rat heart, and measured the geometrical ventricular changes by echocardiography. All MAPKs were significantly activated in the ischemic myocardium (IM), non-ischemic septal wall (SW), and right ventricular wall (RV). Furthermore, the activation patterns of MAPKs differed in each region. The activation of p44ERK, JNKs and p38MAPK in the IM occurred rapidly after myocardial ischemia, followed by those in the SW and RV. The activator protein-1 DNA binding activities of the IM, SW and RV increased significantly at I day after coronary ligation. Echocardiography showed increased SW motion and RV dilatation. In conclusion, this is the first in vivo evidence that myocardial MAPKs are activated in the non-ischemic region of an AMI. Echocardiographic results suggest that acceleration of workload and/or stretch may partially induce the activation of MAPKs.


This is a study on the growth of public relations in Malaysia based on the advertisements placed in the newspapers during the colonial period. Tracing the historical development serves to make a better understanding about the nature of public relations practice. This paper therefore aims at exploring the development of the public relations profession by studying the advertisements placed in the nationwide newspapers, the Straits Times and the Singapore Free Press & Mercantile Advertiser from 1939 which included the early advertisement that contained the phrase "public relations" to 1956 a year before the independence of the Federation of Malaysia. An analysis of the advertisements was made to fully understand the historical development of public relations in Malaya or then Malaysia.

The very first advertisement that was identified was on 31 January 1948, which was placed by the Department of Public Relations of the federal government. The British colonial government had placed another four advertisements in 1949 and 1950. A British mining Co. was the first corporation to hire an information & public relations officer in 1956. The results showed some differences and similarities through the analyses of advertisements in the job specification, which included qualification, duties, and salaries. The results revealed that those who had higher education and experience obtained a higher salary. The results also showed that some advertisers companies/organizations had substituted academic qualifications for working experience) when advertising for their public relations personnel.


SUMMARY In spite of a worldwide trend towards the use of outline fonts for displays and for printing devices, they are still not very common in the east Asian countries where Chinese characters are used. The reason for this is that the complex, structured shapes of Chinese characters take al ong time to design and develop. Several systems have proposed automatic generation of outline fonts from the original master fonts. These systems have the serious problem of quality degradation when rasterizing the font at small point sizes, because they do not incorporate a hinting mechanism to adjust the outlines under these circumstances. In this paper, we present an experimental study on a hinting mechanism specially designed for Chinese-style characters. We propose a scheme which automatically generates the hinted outline data from the plain outline fonts. We have implemented and experimented with four sets of Korean Myungjo (Ming) and Gothic style fonts, and have obtained good results with respect to font quality and development time.


There is an ongoing debate on the use of a single concentration time point C2 for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and exposure prediction for cyclosporine. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the relationship between the peak concentration (Cmax) versus area under the curve (AUC) for cyclosporine. Using published data from renal transplant patients from an 8–12 week study with two formulations, a simple linear regression model represented by AUC − cyclosporine = Cmax − Cyclosporine × 3.9965 + 384.5 (r = 0.9647; p < 0.001) was developed. Using the regression equation, predictions of AUC from the reported Cmax data were performed; the fold difference between observed vs predicted AUC was computed and the root mean square error for the prediction was calculated. While all but one of the predicted AUCs were contained within a 0.5–2‐fold difference (99.1%), a greater proportion of the AUC values were predicted within a narrower range of 0.75 to 1.5‐fold difference (78.2%), suggesting the utility of Cmax as the right surrogate for predicting the AUC for cyclosporine with a correlation coefficient of 0.8698 (n = 126; p < 0.001) and a RMSE of 26.2%. Since the time to Cmax generally varies from 1 to 2 h, although the results validate the use of C2, there may be an opportunity to explore the suitability of C1 or C1.5 in a prospective study for the purpose of TDM and AUC prediction of cyclosporine. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This article investigates the degree of coherence in a particular type of hybrid text, viz. the Patient Information Leaflet, which is a lay-oriented genre fusing original and derived textual elements. Having their source in the specialized genre named Summary of Product Characteristics, derived segments undergo various kinds and degrees of registerial simplification in the transfer to the Patient Information Leaflet. Given this complex textual genesis, the aim of the article is to investigate the nature and degree of coherence in the Patient Information Leaflet genre, and, more specifically, to investigate the degree of integration between derived and non-derived elements. Following Halliday/Hasan's (1976) definition of the coherence concept, the article examines the genre's contextual coherence in the form of registerial consistency and its text-internal coherence in the form of cohesiveness. For the investigation of cohesiveness, the analytical framework known as Cohesive Harmony Analysis (Hasan 1984, 1985) has been applied to a sample text from the genre, and likewise to a parallel lay-oriented, but non-hybrid text from the health column of a British quality newspaper, which serves as a control. While the investigation confirms already well-known problems with registerial consistency in the Patient Information Leaflet genre, the analytical results reflect a high degree of cohesiveness, and one that is even markedly higher than that of the non-hybrid control text. Further, the results reflect a high level of integration between derived and non-derived segments in the Patient Information Leaflet.


According to stereotype threat theory, the possibility of confirming a negative group stereotype evokes feelings of threat, leading people to underperform in domains where they are stereotyped as lacking ability. This theory has immense theoretical and practical implications. However, many studies supporting it include small samples and varying operational definitions of "stereotype threat". We address the first challenge by leveraging a network of psychology labs to recruit a large Black student sample (Nanticipated = 2700) from multiple US sites (Nanticipated = 27). We address the second challenge by identifying three threat-increasing and three threat-decreasing procedures that could plausibly affect performance and use an adaptive Bayesian design to determine which operationalization yields the strongest evidence for underperformance. This project should advance our knowledge of a scientifically and socially important topic: the conditions under which stereotype threat affects performance among current Black students in the United States.


Despite significant advances in clustering methods in recent years, the outcome of clustering of a natural image dataset is still unsatisfactory due to two important drawbacks. Firstly, clustering of images needs a good feature representation of an image and secondly, we need a robust method which can discriminate these features for making them belonging to different clusters such that intra-class variance is less and inter-class variance is high. Often these two aspects are dealt with independently and thus the features are not sufficient enough to partition the data meaningfully. In this paper, we propose a method where we discover these features required for the separation of the images using deep autoencoder. Our method learns the image representation features automatically for the purpose of clustering and also select a coherent image and an incoherent image simultaneously for a given image so that the feature representation learning can learn better discriminative features for grouping the similar images in a cluster and at the same time separating the dissimilar images across clusters. Experiment results show that our method produces significantly better result than the state-of-the-art methods and we also show that our method is more generalized across different dataset without using any pre-trained model like other existing methods.


Formation of the large aggregation sites of the Danubian Gravettian (Pavlovian) represents one of the effects of early modern human adaptation in central Europe, but details of the formative processes at such sites are still little understood. Here we present new evidence from Pavlov I, a site now prepared for a modern museum construction and subjected to a large-scale preparatory excavation. Our focus was on spatial organisation, microstratigraphies, and effects of cryogenic processes on the site formation processes. Obviously, these aggregation sites have a longer prehistory than has been presumed (25 - 33,2 ky uncalBP, or 29 – 38 ky calBP). One of the new contributions is detecting the Early Upper Paleolithic/Gravettian stratigraphic boundary, related to radical changes in settlement strategies, hunting preferences, and in lithic raw materials composition.


INTRODUCTION
Road traffic injuries and fatalities represent a significant public health problem. In Singapore, compliance with appropriate child car restraints (CCRs) is poor. We aimed to understand parental knowledge, beliefs and barriers regarding the use of CCRs.

METHODS
In this qualitative study, we conducted five focus group discussions with parents who drive with their children in private cars. Participants were recruited using the KK Women's and Children's Hospital's social media page. Guiding questions were derived by consensus following literature review and adaptation to the Singapore context, exploring parental perceptions of CCR use. Focus group interviews were then transcribed and analysed.

RESULTS
33 participants were recruited, with an age range of 28-46 (mean age 35.5) years. They had a total of 46 children with ages ranging from 2.5 months to 14 years (mean age 4.2 years). Three key themes were identified: parental knowledge regarding CCRs, barriers to CCR use, and suggestions to increase CCR compliance. Barriers to compliance included lack of knowledge, difficult child behaviour and cultural norms. A multipronged approach was proposed to increase CCR use, including educating the public, reinforcing positive behaviour, legal enforcement as a deterrent to non-compliance, increasing CCR installation services, providing CCR for taxi users and offering financial incentives.

CONCLUSION
Non-compliance to CCR use is multidimensional, including multiple potentially modifiable factors. This study could inform ongoing collaborative injury prevention efforts among healthcare professionals, industry partners and the traffic police, using public education and outreach to reduce the burden of road traffic injuries.


Abstract RATIONALE: Pulse wave velocity (PWV), as a measure of arterial stiffness, has been shown to be associated with resting heart rate (RHR) in general population studies. Yet, the evidence on this relationship in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is scarce and contradictory. OBJECTIVES: We examined the relationship between RHR and PWV and explored the effect of standard pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) on these parameters in COPD. METHODS: A two-phase project was conducted. In Phase 1, a cross-sectional study was performed in 55 COPD and 41 control (CTL) individuals. In Phase 2, an interventional study was performed in COPD patients (n = 27) who completed PR. RHR and PWV were assessed using a SphygmoCor device. RESULTS: COPD patients displayed higher RHR (67 ± 11 beats/min vs. 60 ± 9 beats/min, p = 0.002) and PWV (9.9 ± 1.9 vs. 8.7 ± 2.1 m/s, p = 0.004) than CTL individuals. Multivariate analysis showed that RHR was significantly associated with PWV in both CTL and COPD groups. However, age and pulse pressure played a moderating role in the RHR-PWV relationship in COPD. After PR, PWV (10.3 ± 2.5 m/s vs. 9.6 ± 2.0 m/s, p = 0.004), but not RHR (65 ± 10 beats/min vs. 66 ± 9 beats/min, p = 0.163) decreased. The effect of PR on PWV was maintained even in the presence of confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between RHR and PWV in COPD depends on the age and pulse pressure levels. A standard PR program reduces PWV but does not impact the RHR-PWV relationship in COPD.


The beginning of dinosaur evolution is currently known based on a handful of upper Carnian– lowermost Norian (232–225 Mya) localities situated in a paleolatitudinal belt of approximately 40–50° S in Argentina, Brazil, Zimbabwe and India. The taxonomic diversity of the oldest known dinosaurbearing assemblages, included within the Hyperodapedon Assemblage Zone, is reviewed here. The Brazilian "Teyuwasu barberenarai" is reinterpreted as a nomen dubium representing an indeterminate dinosauriform, the record of cf. Saturnalia from Zimbabwe is considered a basal saurischian and only one of the Indian specimens described by Huene can be unambiguously assigned to Dinosauria. The highest early dinosaur species richness sampled is concentrated in southwestern Pangean assemblages (Argentina and Brazil), with 10 to 11 different described species. By contrast, only one or two species can be currently recognized from the approximately coeval beds of south–central Pangea (Zimbabwe and India), which are much less well sampled. The oldest known dinosaur assemblages appear to have been mostly restricted to subtropical to cool temperate arid areas based on recent paleoclimatological reconstructions. This observation agrees with the hypothesis that the absence of dinosaurs in the upper levels of the Ischigualasto Formation of Argentina is related to an increase in humidity in the basin. Accordingly, climatic factors, with humidity as probably the most important, may have controlled the paleobiogeographic distribution of the oldest known dinosaur assemblages. The achievement of a worldwide dinosaur distribution during the latest Triassic may have occurred after a global climate change, such as the end of the "Carnian Pluvial Event", and/or the invasion of more tropical humid climates by dinosaurs.


In this modern era, societal marketing business ethics and corporate social responsibility has become the guideline for green marketing strategies and practices. Consumer concerns towards the environment are the evidence which steadily increases the ecologically conscious marketplace. Consumers' awareness and attitude on food products which market in green marketing is important in guiding their purchasing intention of environmental friendly food products. The purpose of this research is to determine the moderation of consumer attitude on the relationship of subjective norms and perceived behavioral control and consumer purchase intention towards environmental friendly food products. Simple random sampling was used in this study and 151 respondents were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Descriptive analysis, reliability test and hierarchical multiple regression were used to accomplish the objective of this study. The results indicate that there is evidence to conclude that the consumer attitude is moderator in the relationship between subjective norms and their intention to purchase environmental friendly food products. However, attitude is not a moderator variable in the relationship between perceived behaviour control and consumer intention to purchase environmental friendly food products.


Mirogabalin is a selective calcium channel α2δ subunit ligand being developed to treat neuropathic pain. In accordance with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance, the human abuse potential of mirogabalin (15–105 mg) was examined, relative to placebo, diazepam (15 or 30 mg), and pregabalin (200 or 450 mg), in two single-dose, randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled crossover studies in recreational polydrug users who could discern between positive comparator and placebo. The primary endpoint was maximum observed effect (Emax) for Drug Liking Visual Analog Scale. At therapeutic doses, mirogabalin Drug Liking Emax did not differ significantly from placebo and was significantly lower than diazepam and pregabalin. This indicates therapeutic doses mirogabalin may have less abuse potential versus diazepam or pregabalin. At supratherapeutic doses (⩾4× therapeutic dose), mirogabalin had significantly higher Drug Liking Emax than placebo, but lower Emax than pregabalin. In both studies, therapeutic doses of mirogabalin demonstrated limited evidence of abuse potential.


desire to read, in good literary Frencb, the professional idioms used b surgeons in France. Although French is an easy language, much studied in this country, we believe that a medical dictionary, similar to the German nmedical lexicons of Fancourt Barnes, Wailer, and (cutter, would be a desideratumii. It is true that most medical terms of Greek and Latin derivation, whether classical, or composed by iediiedval or modern -writers, are very similar, excepting in termiiination, in French anI English, and are more generally employed in works in those langagies than vernacuilar terms, contrarv to the German method. But it is very desirable that the Eniglislh readlei should leam correct accentuation ; and anotlher advanitage that might be derived from a sipecial dictionary is a precise knowledge of the nature of operations andl iinstruments, known by the names of surgeons who lhave introduced them inito practice. These names difler greatly oni the two sides of the Channel, alnd the French nomenclature can readily be learnt fromii M. Le Blec's Pr&li.


Study Design. Case report of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a positional occlusion of the left vertebral artery (VA). Objective. To describe the utility of Doppler ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) angiography for the diagnosis of positional VA occlusion. Summary of Background Data. In previous reports of positional VA occlusion in RA, angiography has been used for the diagnosis. However, it is difficult to demonstrate the three-dimensional relationship between the arteries and the bone structure with angiography. Methods. An 83-year-old man with a 20-year history of RA complained of severe vertigo when he leaned his head in the left-anterior direction. CT angiography in the neutral position revealed that the left VA was pinched between the posterior rim of the transverse foramen of C1 and the transverse process of C2. Doppler ultrasonography demonstrated positional VA occlusion and a severe reduction in blood flow at the position that most readily induces vertigo. Because the space between the transverse foramens of left C1 and C2 was reduced with the destruction of the left C1/C2 lateral masses, slight rotation, and anterior shift of C1 led to the occlusion of the VA. Results. After posterior O–C2 fusion at the reduced position, the VA occlusion and vertigo disappeared. Conclusion. Doppler ultrasonography and CT angiography allow valuable measurements in the diagnosis of positional VA occlusion. The one-sided destruction of the C1/C2 lateral masses might be a causal factor for VA occlusion in RA. This is the first report of a new pathomechanism underlying positional VA occlusion demonstrated with three-dimensional CT angiography.


FORMS To obtain an official abstract folm, mail or i'ax the coupon below to SHEA headquarters or telephone (609) 8451720, fax (609) 8.53-0411 ------_------------__-----------------Please mail Official Abstract Forms for the Third Annual Meeting of SHEA, to:


OBJECTIVE
The study aimed to determine the impact of using sildenafil citrate as an adjuvant with clomiphene citrate (CC) in the treatment of women with unexplained infertility.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
130 women with unexplained infertility were enrolled in a prospective randomized study. After dividing into two groups, all patients received CC 50 mg-BD from the 2nd to the 7th day of the cycle. Oral sildenafil citrate 20 mg was given BD to the study group from the end of menstruation till ovulation. A transvaginal ultrasound was carried out for all patients to assess ovulation, number of follicles, and endometrial thickness (ET). The beta-hCG blood test was used to determine pregnancy two weeks after ovulation followed by an ultrasound to confirm viability. Adverse effects were recorded and miscarriage, ectopic, and multi-fetal pregnancy were followed up for twelve weeks.

RESULTS
Median ET in the study group was 8 mm compared to 7 mm in the control group (p<0.01). The number of pregnancies increased in the study group but with no significant difference. The median ET was greater in the study group with an infertility duration of less than 2 years. Headache was the most significant adverse effect in the study group (9.2% vs. 1.5%, p=0.052).

CONCLUSIONS
Adding sildenafil citrate to CC is a good choice for overcoming the antiestrogenic action of CC and improving ET in women with unexplained infertility, especially in those with less than 2 years of infertility.


Modern simulation techniques have reached a level of maturity which allows a wide range of problems in chemistry and materials science to be addressed. Unfortunately, the application of first principles methods with predictive power is still limited to rather small systems, and despite the rapid evolution of computer hardware no fundamental change in this situation can be expected. Consequently, the development of more efficient but equally reliable atomistic potentials to reach an atomic level understanding of complex systems has received considerable attention in recent years. A promising new development has been the introduction of machine learning (ML) methods to describe the atomic interactions. Once trained with electronic structure data, ML potentials can accelerate computer simulations by several orders of magnitude, while preserving quantum mechanical accuracy. This Review considers the methodology of an important class of ML potentials that employs artificial neural networks.


We ask the data whether and how aid targeted at specific sub-categories of economic infrastructure could assist ECOWAS economies to attract higher Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow via improvement in infrastructure in Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS), energy, transport, and ICT. By relying on the 3SLS estimation technique that is able to explicitly account for dependencies between 3 structural equations on the allocation of targeted aid, the determinants of infrastructure, and the determinants of FDI – we found quite interesting results. First, aid targeted at infrastructure indicates strong positive effect on the countries' infrastructure endowment, as expected. Second, there is robust evidence that aid promotes FDI but, surprisingly, not necessarily through the infrastructure channel. Targeted aid appears to exert a positive and direct knock-on effect on FDI - apparently, because investors anticipate the positive effect that targeted aid is almost always inclined to produce on host countries' infrastructure endowment. Finally, aid allocation by Development Assistance Committee donors seems to have primarily been merit-based, followed by weaker evidence for 'need'. Therefore, we recommend more need-based aid allocation particularly in economies where initial infrastructure endowment is minimal. There is also need for extended effort at index construction (e.g., index of infrastructure need) and data collection to drive country-case studies. This should identify the transmission channel from aid to FDI and how the associated binding constraints could be overcome.


Many therapeutic agents are commercialized under their racemic form. The enantiomers can show differences in the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile. The use of a pure enantiomer in pharmaceutical formulations may result in a better therapeutic index and fewer adverse effects. Atropine, an alkaloid of Atropa belladonna, is a racemic mixture of l-hyoscyamine and d-hyoscyamine. It is widely used to dilate the pupil. To quantify these enantiomers in ophthalmic solutions, an HPLC method was developed and validated using a Chiral AGP column at 20 degrees C. The mobile phase consisted of a buffered phosphate solution (containing 10 mM 1-octanesulfonic acid sodium salt and 7.5 mM triethylamine, adjusted to pH 7.0 with orthophosphoric acid) and acetonitrile (99 + 1, v/v). The flow rate was 0.6 ml/min, with UV detection at 205 nm. In the concentration range of 14.0-26.0 microg/mL, the method was found to be linear (r > 0.9999), accurate (with recovery of 100.1-100.5%), and precise (RSD system < or = 0.6%; RSD intraday < or = 1.1%; RSD interday < or = 0.9%). The method was specific, and the standard and sample solutions were stable for up to 72 h. The factorial design assures robustness with a variation of +/- 10% in the mobile phase components and 2 degrees C of column temperature. The complete validation, including stress testing and factorial design, was studied and is presented in this research.


ABSTRACT The leach test of radionuclide in cement-solidified waste form was performed. After leach test, compressive strength of waste form was measured. Cement-solidified waste form produced at Korean nuclear power plant, Kori (PWR) was chosen for the leach test. Specimens were cored out from a full-scale waste form (200 l drum size). The leach test procedure used for this study was ANSI/ANS 16.1 procedure. The leachability indexes for cesium and cobalt isotopes were determined. Semi-infinite model was used for analysis of the controlling mechanism in the release of isotopes. Release mechanism of cesium was dominated by diffusion but release of cobalt behaved somewhat differently from the diffusion controlled release. Averaged leachability indexes were 8.6 for cesium and 11.4 for cobalt. Compressive strength after leach/immersion test was 7.34 MPa for the sample immersed in simulated seawater and 8.34 MPa for the sample immersed in deionized water.


A vertex colouring of a graph is asymmetric if it is preserved only by the identity automorphism. The minimum number of colours needed for an asymmetric colouring of a graph $G$ is called the asymmetric colouring number or distinguishing number $D(G)$ of $G$. It is well known that $D(G)$ is closely related to the least number of vertices moved by any non-identity automorphism, the so-called motion $m(G)$ of $G$. Large motion is usually correlated with small $D(G)$. Recently, Babai posed the question whether there exists a function $f(d)$ such that every connected, countable graph $G$ with maximum degree $\Delta(G)\leq d$ and motion $m(G)>f(d)$ has an asymmetric $2$-colouring, with at most finitely many exceptions for every degree.
We prove the following result: if $G$ is a connected, countable graph of maximum degree at most 4, without an induced claw $K_{1,3}$, then $D(G)= 2$ whenever $m(G)>2$, with three exceptional small graphs. This answers the question of Babai for $d=4$ in the class of~claw-free graphs.


The present study deals with the evaluation of the age-defying potential of topical cream formulations bearing Geranium essential oil/Calendula essential oil-entrapped ethanolic lipid vesicles (ELVs). Two types of cream formulations were prepared, viz., conventional and ELVs spiked o/w creams. Essential oil- (EO-) loaded ELVs were characterized by vesicle size, polydispersity index, encapsulation efficiency, and scanning electron microscopy. The cream formulations were evaluated for homogeneity, spreadability, viscosity, pH, in vitro antioxidant capacity, sun protection factor, and in vitro collagenase and elastase inhibition capacity. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was performed to ascertain skin permeation of conventional and vesicular cream. The results of in vitro antioxidant studies showed that GEO-/CEO-loaded vesicular creams have notable antioxidant capacity when compared to nonvesicular creams. GEO- or CEO-loaded vesicular creams exhibited the highest SPF value 10.26 and 18.54, respectively. Both the EO-based vesicular creams showed in vitro collagenase and elastase enzyme inhibition capacity. CLSM images clearly depicted that vesicular cream deep into the skin layers. From the research findings, the age-defying potential and photoprotective effects of GEO and CEO were confirmed. It can be concluded that ELVs are able to preserve the efficiency of EOs and have the potential to combat skin aging.


In Belgium there are two possibilities to study architecture, it can either be done at a higher institute or academy, or at a university. At the higher schools of architecture the computer equipment has just been installed during the last years, and teaching of CAAD is not yet integrated. There exists only a general computer course. At the universities hardware has been available since several years, and software has been developed. The following programs have been implemented in Liege : LPB1, LPB2, LPB3, LPB4 (energy analysis), FEASIBILITY (to obtain acceptable values for the main global parameters of a design), VOLUME, (3D modelling for building modelisation and manipulation) and TYPOLOGIE (for the determination of classes for the energetic behaviour of residential buildings).


Diverticulosis is a rare disease with a multifactorial aetiology, with a large majority in the elderly. It is characterized by a mildly symptomatic and non-specific clinical symptom. Unequivocal diagnosis can be difficult and not always possible before intraoperative examination. Delayed diagnosis can result in life-threatening consequences such as intestinal perforation or hemorrhage. A case of an 86-year-old patient with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting lasting for 2 days was reported. In the physical examination of the deviation from the normal state, general abrasion, flatulence and tenderness were found in the mesogastric abdominal area. In the past 6 months, the patient reported weight loss and a change in bowel movements. In laboratory tests, low leucocytosis, with normal levels of C-reactive protein. Despite intensive treatment, no improvement in general condition was observed. Due to persistent abdominal pain and gastrointestinal symptoms, it was decided to perform reconnaissance laparotomy. Several diverticulae of the initial small intestine were found in the intestine at ca. 20 cm from the Treitz ligament. The intestines were decompress by cutting them. Due to localization of lesions, no inflammation, perforation or haemorrhage, age and general condition of the patient, resection of the diseased segment of the small intestine was rescued. Perioperative and postoperative course without complications. Patient was discharged home in good general condition 10 days after surgery.


Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) account for 15% of breast cancers. TNBCs carry a high risk of recurrence and deaths, due to the high rate of local and systemic relapse in these patients and no therapeutic options except chemotherapy are currently available. The TNBC pattern of recurrence present a distant recurrence peak at approximately 3 years and then declines rapidly thereafter, whereas in all non-TNBC types the recurrence risk seems to be constant over time. TNBC relapse risk is comparable to that of HER2−positive tumors subtype, in which growth-factors released during the healing process accelerate the early recurrences in HER2−positive patients. Thus, we speculate that also TNBC early relapse may depend on their capability to respond to wound-healing stimulation. To this aim, TNBC were treated with drainages to identify which receptors/pathways can be activated and play a driving role in TNBC progression. A pilot reverse phase protein microarray (RPMA) experiment on MDA-MB-231 TN cells drainage-fluids stimulated revealed a specific activation of PDGFR and VEGFR and their downstream pathways, whereas no significant changes were observed in other receptors, such as EGFR, IRS, Met and ERB3. The type of activated receptors suggested the involvement of endothelial receptors upon drainages stimulation and, indeed TNBC cell lines expressed endothelial molecules, such as CD34, CD31, CD146. Beside the proved role of some of these receptors in cellular proliferation, the TNBC endothelial-like phenotype prompt us to analyzed TNBC cell lines capability to form vascular-like channels when seeded on matrigel. Drainages were able to accelerate the formation of vascular channels in TNBC cell lines and, moreover to consistently increase proliferation of TNBC cells compared to non-TNBC cells. To prove whether receptors found activated by drainages play a key role in TNBC progression, we targeted PDGFR, VEGFR and other receptors possibly involved in angiogenesis and vasculogenic mimicry with sunitinib (targeting PDGFR, VEGFR, FGF and c-kit), anti-bFGF antibody (Ab)(targeting the ligand bFGF) and bevacizumab (targeting the VEGF) in TNBC cells drainage-stimulated in vitro. Sunitinib and anti-bFGF Ab halved the proliferation of TNBC cell lines and reduced of almost 60% the formation of vascular-like channels in TNBC cells, whereas bevacizumab modestly affect proliferation but not vasculogenic properties. Notably, sunitinib and anti-bFGF Ab strongly inhibited MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 xenografts tumor growth (sunitinib: 80%, and 70% Growth Index (GI), respectively; anti-bFGF Ab 70% and 60% GI, respectively) whereas bevacizumab determined no more than 30% decrease of tumor volume. Unfortunately, all these drugs did not efficiently control the development of lung metastases, that indeed significant increased compared to their control, possibly through induction of hypoxia processes. In conclusion, wound healing promotes TNBC progression by sustaining proliferation and vasculogenesis. The use of sunitinib and anti-bFGF antibody strongly inhibited tumor growth in mice models, but significantly increased lung metastases suggesting a combined use of these drugs with molecules able to interfere with hypoxia pathway. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr PD08-07.


Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are easily spoofed by adversarial examples which lead to wrong classification results. Most of the defense methods focus only on how to improve the robustness of CNNs or to detect adversarial examples. They are incapable of detecting and correctly classifying adversarial examples simultaneously. We find that adversarial examples and original images have diverse representations in the feature space, and this difference grows as layers go deeper, which we call Adversarial Feature Separability (AFS). Inspired by AFS, we propose a defense framework based on Adversarial Feature Genome (AFG), which can detect and correctly classify adversarial examples into original classes simultaneously. AFG is an innovative encoding for both image and adversarial example. It consists of group features and a mixed label. With group features which are visual representations of adversarial and original images via group visualization method, one can detect adversarial examples because of ASF of group features. With a mixed label, one can trace back to the original label of an adversarial example. Then, the classification of adversarial example is modeled as a multi-label classification trained on the AFG dataset, which can get the original class of adversarial example. Experiments show that the proposed framework not only effectively detects adversarial examples from different attack algorithms, but also correctly classifies adversarial examples. Our framework potentially gives a new perspective, i.e., a data-driven way, to improve the robustness of a CNN model.


Purpose: To isolate and purify sesquiterpene lactones from Ixeris sonchifolia (Bunge) Hance by highspeed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). Methods: I. sonchifolia was extracted with water and then loaded on a glass column (10 × 1500 cm containing 3000g D101 macroporous resin) where various concentrations of aqueous ethanol (0, 10, 30, 50, and 95 %) were used to elute the column successively. The 50 % ethanol fraction was purified by HSCCC using a solvent system comprised of ethyl acetate: n-butanol: methanol: water (4: 6: 1: 20, v/v), and semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The chemical structures of the components obtained were further confirmed by high-resolution mass spectroscopy (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Results: Three compounds, including ixerin Z1 (0.7 mg), ixerin Z (11.4 mg), and 11, 13α-dihydroixerin Z (8.2 mg), with purity of 96.2, 98.2, and 98.4 %, respectively, were obtained from 200 mg each of the 50 % ethanol fraction. Conclusion: HSCCC is a rapid and effective method for isolating and purifying sesquiterpene lactones from I. sonchifolia.


In 2017, the Hong Kong Strategy and Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017–2022 (HKSAP) was announced with the aim of tackling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Hong Kong. However, little is known about how the planned activities have been implemented. In this study, we examine the status of implementation of the HKSAP using the Smith Policy Implementation Process Model. Semi-structured interviews with 17 informants found that important achievements have been made, including launching educational and training activities targeting the public, farmers, and healthcare professionals; upgrading the AMR surveillance system; and strengthening AMR stewardship and infection control. Nevertheless, participants also identified barriers to greater implementation, such as tensions across sectors, ongoing inappropriate drug use and prescription habits, insufficient human and technical resources, as well as a weak accountability framework. Environmental factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic also affected the implementation of HKSAP. Our study indicated that expanding engagement with the public and professionals, creating a collaborative environment for policy implementation, and building a well-functioning monitoring and evaluation system should be areas to focus on in future AMR policies.


One of the fundamental differences between the terrestrial radio frequency (RF) signal and underwater acoustic signal is long propagation delay. This paper is focused on a scheduling scheme for regional data collection in underwater acoustic sensor networks. Long propagation delay of the acoustic signal causes a serious problem for transmission scheduling. In this paper, we propose an efficient transmission scheduling algorithm using the property of long propagation delay for real-time data collection which is critical to tactical surveillance applications. We show through the simulation that the proposed scheme reduces total transmission time and increases the network efficiency significantly.


Computerized image analysis, including fluorescein angiography, was used to evaluate the retinal, choroidal and optic disk blood flow in 16 patients with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) and to correlate this measurement with visual fields, retinal vessel width, optic disk pallor and blood pressure (BP). The angle of the ascending slope of the fluorescein dye curve was measured as an index of blood flow from the densitometric and time curves of the fluorescein angiograms in the optic disk, peripapillary choroid, retinal artery and vein for each quadrant. While the ascending slope as well as the retinal vessel width were most reduced in the inferior and nasal regions, the mean threshold was lowest in the superior and nasal quadrants. There were positive significant correlations between artery width and threshold value, between angles of slopes and pallor. In addition, systolic BP had a negative correlation with pallor, and diastolic BP had a positive one with slope in the choroid. These results indicated the probable association of a decrease in retinal, choroidal and optic disk blood flow in the inferior and nasal quadrants as well as vessel width in the inferior nasal quadrant with visual field loss in the superior quadrant, and also demonstrated an increasing blood flow for enlargement of pallor. A decrease in BP was found to be related to reduced blood flow in choroid and optic disk impairment.


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Negative symptoms, which are among the main criteria in DSM-5 for diagnosis of schizophrenia, are categorized by some of the researchers into 'primary vs. secondary ', 'enduring vs. transitory 'and 'treatment-resistant vs. treatment-responsive' groups. Besides, adjunctive strategies are desperately acknowledged as the necessary complementary inventions in this regard. But according to a quantity of data, such invented classification into above-mentioned clusters, may not be verified reasonably. In addition, unconditional pessimistic standpoint regarding inflexibility of 'primary negative symptoms', against therapeutic approaches, does not seem to be tenable and thus needs to be revised. So, the time has arrived for a critical review about such a conjectural dichotomy, which is seeking diligently cure for no authentic theme. Citation: Shoja Shafti S (2019) Primary Negative Symptoms: Appraisal of a Misty Outlook. J Psychiatry Depress Anxiety 5: 019.


Human therapeutic cloning requires the reprogramming of a somatic cell by nuclear transfer to generate autologous totipotent stem cells. We have parthenogenetically activated 22 human eggs and also performed nuclear transfer in 17 metaphase II eggs. Cleavage beyond the eight-cell stage was obtained in the parthenogenetic-activated eggs, and blastocoele cavities were observed in six. Three somatic cell-derived embryos developed beyond the pronuclear stage up to the six-cell stage. The ability to create autologous embryos represents the first step towards generating immune-compatible stem cells that could be used to overcome the problem of immune rejection in regenerative medicine.


The Fontan circulation was one of the "big ideas" in congenital heart disease in the 1970s. This completely novel type of circulation was at first the source of some astonishment but, gradually, understanding of its properties progressed and there is now an expanding cohort of patients followed up with stable Fontan circulations.

In 1990, on the basis of an observational study of the survival and wellbeing of 334 patients, Fontan et al came to the disappointing conclusion that even after a perfect Fontan procedure there was a gradual decline in the functional status of patients that the authors could not attribute to anything other than the Fontan circulation itself.1 This and other long term follow up studies have provoked a wave of negativity about Fontan-type operations that has had repercussions for patients with complex anatomy facing radical operations.

Two European papers,2 3 describe cross sectional studies of medium and long term survivors of Fontan-type operations. They both focus on the non-cardiac complications of liver dysfunction, coagulation disorders, and protein losing enteropathy rather than the time related incidences of death, arrhythmias, and surgical complications, such as pathway obstruction, addressed in several other series. We have now to respond to the consensus that at least 40% of patients, most of whom are functioning tolerably well at late follow up, have a raised concentration of one or more liver enzymes, at least 25% have a depletion of some coagulation factors, and 7% have abnormally low serum albumin.

Are the abnormalities of liver function and coagulation explicable by the Fontan state as we understand it? Fundamental to the operation of all Fontan-type circulations is a chronic increase of systemic venous pressure to levels that would correspond to significant right heart disease in a biventricular circulation (fig 1 …


BACKGROUND
COVID-19 may be a risk factor for developing cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction. Data are limited, however, on the association between heart rate variability, heart rate turbulence, and COVID-19. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular autonomic system in patients with persistent symptoms after recovering from COVID-19 and to determine whether these patients showed changes in ambulatory electrocardiography monitoring.

METHODS
Fifty-one adults who had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and presented with persistent symptoms to the cardiology outpatient clinic after clinical recovery between April and June 2021 were included. Patients were prospectively followed for 6 months. The patients were evaluated at the time of first application to the cardiology outpatient clinic and at 6 months after presentation. Ambulatory electrocardiography monitoring and echocardiographic findings were compared with a control group of 95 patients.

RESULTS
Patients in the post-COVID-19 group had significantly higher mean (SD) turbulence onset (0.39% [1.82%] vs -1.37% [2.93%]; P < .001) and lower heart rate variability than those in the control group at both initial and 6-month evaluations. The post-COVID-19 group had no significant differences in echocardiographic findings compared with the control group at 6 months, except for right ventricle late diastolic mitral annular velocity (P = .034). Furthermore, turbulence onset was significantly correlated with turbulence slope (r = -0.232; P = .004), heart rate variability, and the parameters of left (r = -0.194; P=.049) and right (r = 0.225; P = .02) ventricular diastolic function.

CONCLUSIONS
COVID-19 may cause cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction. Heart rate variability and turbulence parameters can be used to recognize cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in patients who have recovered from COVID-19 but have persistent symptoms.


David Whisnant provides a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic relationship between culture, power, and policy in Nicaragua over the last 450 years. Spanning a broad spectrum of popular and traditional expressive forms--including literature, music, film, and broadcast media--the book explores the evolution of Nicaraguan culture, its manipulation for political purposes, and the opposition to cultural policy by a variety of marginalized social and regional groups. Within the historical narrative of cultural change over time, Whisnant skillfully discusses important case studies of Nicaraguan cultural politics: the consequences of the unauthorized removal of archaeological treasures from the country in the nineteenth century; the perennial attempts by political factions to capitalize on the reputation of two venerated cultural figures, poet Ruben Dario and rebel General Augusto C. Sandino; and the ongoing struggle by Nicaraguan women for liberation from traditional gender relations. Originally published in 1995. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value. |A new edition of the most comprehensive guide to the hiking and walking trails of Virginia. Allen de Hart gives directions to and descriptions of more than 1,400 trails, noting nearby points of interest, botanical and zoological features, and characteristics of the region's terrain.


Background
The authors present 4 techniques for fully-endoscopic cervical spine surgery with accompanying case series: (I) posterior cervical unilateral laminectomy and bilateral decompression, (II) posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF), (III) anterior cervical discectomy, and (IV) anterior transcorporeal discectomy.

Methods
We retrospectively reviewed fully endoscopic cervical spine surgery cases at one high-volume endoscopic center in the United States and present clinical data extracted from endoscopic spine surgery performed over a 6-year period with a minimum clinical follow up of 1 year.

Results
A series of 114 patients who underwent fully endoscopic cervical spine surgery between 2012 and 2018 is presented. Clinical results and technical data are presented.

Conclusions
Fully endoscopic cervical spine surgery is an emerging surgical technique for addressing cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy through a minimally invasive approach.


A general view of the whole pattern of training physics teachers at a time of rapid change within the colleges of education is presented.


Since last one and half decades, Bangladesh has confronting a growing number of child killing issues. For different social, economic and political reasons innocent child are being tortured, raped, sexually assaulted, and killed brutally in heinous means. According to the statistics of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) in 2015, Bangladesh has witnessed 1,714 murders of children just over the last five years in which 968 child were put into atrocious death. The number explicit the fact that on average one child is being killed in each day. While legal actions and investigations on such cases are taking place but even though, that does not seem to hindering continuous child killing occurrences. Such incidents have made real threat to the rights to life of children. This paper is an endeavor to frame out a sociological and ethical examination on the possible reasons of child killing incidents in Bangladesh. Methodologically, the discussion and analysis will be followed inductively relying on a considerable number of literature reviews, empirical data and practical examples throughout the whole paper. We shall argue that child murder issues hoist responsibilities and accountability of both government and public, and therefore, required special consideration; child as a subject of unreasonable and terrible killing cannot be morally acceptable instead they should be protected from any vulnerable position of the society.


ABSTRACT One fruitful perspective with which to think differently about the consuming subject in affluent capitalist societies can be found in the field of non-consumption. Whilst "choices" not to buy, own and use are often tacit in analyses of social class dynamics, identity expression, and consumer resistance, here we adopt the dramaturgical perspective of Erving Goffman to argue that forms of non-consumption may occur within expressions of role distance. Our interpretive analysis of interview narratives identifies three imagoes – the fool, the hero, and the sage – that our informants reproduced to disaffiliate from a virtual self-generated by participation in the shopping situations dominating many urban centres. We conclude that buying and consuming less in "everyday" contexts may require the performance of alternative, culturally available personas, and that role distance can signify alienation from a consumer role or, conversely, constitute a defence against actual attachment to it.


The following thesis contains three parts, where the common overall goal was to develop useful applications for synthesis and modification of pyrrole heterocycles.
A range of desmethyl, cis-hydroxy analogues of the biologically active natural product (–)-codonopsine were prepared, using the controlled oxidation of Nmethylpyrrole with both hypervalent iodine reagents and photooxidation as a key step. Dihydroxylation, Friedel–Crafts alkylation using aromatic nucleophiles, and reduction with LiAlH4 were used to transform these γ-lactam intermediates to the desired analogues in mostly good overall yields. The relative stereocontrol observed in these processes was expanded to develop two approaches to asymmetric syntheses of these analogues. The use of chiral bicyclic scaffolds gave complete stereoselectivty, but the intermediates were too stable for further modification. The use of an amino acid methyl ester chiral auxiliary gave separable diastereomers, but further functionalization led to scrambling of stereocenters.
Chiral dihydroxylated bicyclic γ-lactam intermediates were applied to the synthesis of chiral fluorinated GABA analogues, due to their selective binding to particular GABA receptors. Direct fluorination of bicyclic diols using Deoxofluor and DAST led to separable mixtures of mono- and difluorinated products. These proved more amenable to ring-opening of the bicyclic lactams through trapping of iminium ions than the corresponding diolsubstituted bicyclic lactams, due to hyperconjugation effects of the fluorine substituents. A proof of concept preparation of a fluorohydrin analogue of GABA was successfully completed.
An approach was developed for the selective preparation of stable pyrroles and pyrrolidines from the readily available 1,4-dialdehyde natural product polygodial. A modified Paal-Knorr approach under reducing conditions made it possible to selectively produce stable pyrroles or pyrrolidines in good to excellent yields. One of the pyrroles was taken and subjected to controlled pyrrole oxidation and Friedel–Crafts alkylation to give novel analogues of the antifungal natural product (+)-Crispin A. These compounds were also investigated as scaffolds for the preparation of chiral amines with potential applications as organocatalysts.


Numerous countries have sorted out energy awards as an instrument to promote energy efficiency (EE), to contribute towards energy sustainability and to give a component to associations to constantly hunt benchmark and recognize activities and best practices in EE. Most of companies to invest in the reusing and reuse of materials, the environmentally inviting technology, inward training on green economy, the remainder of the electorate and the buy and utilization of materials with less impact essentially in light of the fact that they trust that investment to guarantee the safeguarding of nature around. It is additionally a marker of an effective environmental sustainability in Malaysia dependent on the reactions are broke down from an assortment of high technology-based companies working in Kedah, Malaysia. Malaysia is focused on cultivating the development of a clean and efficient economy; that is, a "green" economy. This implies encouraging the development of green businesses and green items, which thus will make "green jobs." At the fundamental level, there exists a misallocation of resources. As Malaysia advances greater environmental awareness, it is imperative to establish national benchmarks by which to measure progress toward a greener economy. This investigation tries to find the condition of knowledge in Malaysia on the green economy. The result additionally shows that an expansion in the prioritizing green economy anticipated by the companies working in Malaysia will prompt increment in green monetary sustainability. This suggests the progress towards the green economy in Malaysia is likewise impacted by the view of its significance later on. The investigation uncovers that expansion in green economy awareness among the firms will prompt increment in the level of environmental sustainability, in this way improving the present condition of green economy in Malaysia.


Abstract. Monitoring the static and dynamic displacements of large engineering structures, such as buildings and bridges, can provide quantitative information for evaluating structural safety and maintenance purposes. Camera calibration is a key process in vision-based sensor systems for remote displacement measurement. Due to the large field of view of engineering structures, conventional camera calibration methods using precise calibration boards are difficult to apply. A modified calibration method for a binocular stereo vision system based on the epipolar constraint relationship is proposed to simplify the calibration process. Due to the absence of reference points in outdoor applications, an unmanned aerial vehicle that carries a reference marker is adopted. During its flight in the field, sequential images are captured simultaneously with the left and right imaging stations. An alternative to determine the scale factor is also proposed, which provides adequate precision for camera calibration. Two important issues are discussed, including the number of reference points and their selection with regards to the depth of view. The experimental results show that the proposed method is convenient to apply in outdoor situations and can achieve high accuracy in displacement measurement.


We present a cost efficient methodology for using social media to recruit a low incidence, hard-to-reach population. For qualitative research investigating the policy implications of divorce later in life, we were challenged to recruit a pool of qualified respondents to secure 80 in-depth interview subjects of geographic diversity divided evenly by sex. Although "gray divorce" (i.e., divorce at or over 50 years old) is increasingly common – approximately one in four of all divorces in the United States now occurs within this age group – the incidence rate of individuals in the general population meeting these criteria renders traditional recruitment methods cost-prohibitive. With limited resources and the need for microtargeting, we turned to Facebook: Over four waves totaling 13 days, we recruited 178 qualified respondents from which we successfully selected 40 male and 40 female interviewees while preserving geographic diversity. We specified the characteristics of Facebook users who would be exposed to our solicitation; overall, we generated the respondent pool at a mean cost of $1.18 per respondent, for a total recruitment cost of $210.04. Compared to other recruitment approaches, the speed and cost-efficiency of this methodology was overwhelmingly superior.


Abstract Equipment performance improvement in a wide range of working conditions is one of the major goals of aerodynamics. This goal can be achieved by the deformation of the object being examined or by using flow control techniques in active or inactive modes. In different researches, how to change the development ratio on the semi-confined space with input jet system is surveyed. In this study, two-dimensional simulation of the flow has been investigated in three-jet laminar flow in a semi-confined space. To determine the effective and optimal mixing in a laminar flow, critical Reynolds numbers were determined to distinguish when the flow in the channel from a steady-state symmetric flowformed downstream recirculation and ultimately transient flow. To better understand the flow characteristics, the simulations were changed at a fixed jet spacing (input jets distance to height of space ratio). Also, in this paper, for comparison, four jets were considered. Based on the results, it was observed that in all cases, mixing occurred in the space between three jets. Placing the jet along the walls of the semi-confined space allows the best combination, and increase in the distance between the first and third jets and reduction of the particle coefficient caused to reach the critical Reynolds number faster and, as a result, mixing in a laminar flow with geometric changes of the semi-confined space.


In this study, the eggs produced in uncontrolled village conditions were compared to free-range, organic and cage-system in two seasons, in autumn and spring, in terms of external and internal quality traits. In the autumn and spring period, 110 eggs were collected from the village eggs and 50 eggs from other production systems. In order to determine the fertility in the village eggs, 60 eggs were placed in a laboratory type incubator in both seasons and fertility control was made at the 18th day. All data of egg quality traits were performed by taking the average of the two seasons. Egg shape index, shell ratio, shell thickness, shell cleanness, shell defects, albumen and yolk traits differed significantly among production systems (P < 0.05). The lowest shape index, shell thickness and shell cleanness were found in village eggs. Higher shell rates were determined from eggs in cage and organic production compared to others (P < 0.05). The yolk height and yolk index were the lowest and the yolk colors were the darkest in the white cage eggs (P < 0.05). Brown cage eggs showed the better results in the majority of their quality traits. However, they had a higher meat and blood-spot level than other systems. In addition, the presence of cockerels in the village flocks caused the fertile eggs and approximately 85% fertility was obtained. Our results showed that it has become obvious that the village hen and free range hen eggs which can be marketed in high prices compared to the commercial eggs, have no superiority in terms of the traits they are considered. Besides, as they are significantly fertile, especially in hot summer months, according to storage duration and conditions, the probability of embryo development for these eggs has turned to be of high importance for consumption.


Pulmonary ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury occurs in many clinical conditions and causes severe damage to the lungs. Diabetes mellitus (DM) predisposes to pulmonary I/R injury. We previously found that remote liver ischemia preconditioning protected lungs against pulmonary I/R injury. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether remote liver ischemic postconditioning (RLIPost) attenuates pulmonary damage induced by I/R injury in non-diabetic or diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned into non-diabetic and diabetic groups. All rats except for the sham were exposed to 45 min of left hilum occlusion followed by 2 h of reperfusion. RLIPost was conducted at the onset of pulmonary reperfusion by four cycles of 5 min of liver ischemia and reperfusion. Lung injury was assessed by the wet/dry weight ratio, pulmonary oxygenation, histopathological changes, apoptosis and the expression of inflammatory cytokines. Reperfusion-associated protein phosphorylation states were determined. RLIPost offered strong pulmonary-protection in both non-diabetic and diabetic rats, as reflected in reduced water content and pulmonary structural damage, recovery of lung function, inhibition of apoptosis and inflammation after ischemia-reperfusion. RLIPost induced the activation of pulmonary STAT-3, a key component in the SAFE pathway, but not activation of the proteins in the RISK pathway, in non-diabetic rats. In contrast, RLIPost-induced pulmonary protection in diabetic lungs was independent of SAFE or RISK pathway activation. These results demonstrate that RLIPost exerts pulmonary protection against I/R-induced lung injury in non-diabetic and diabetic rats. The underlying mechanism for protection may be different in non-diabetic (STAT-3 dependent) versus diabetic (STAT-3 independent) rats.


BACKGROUND
Imported malaria remains a public health concern in the United States, but the health impact on children and the financial costs to society have not been well defined.

METHODS
Inpatient and outpatient malaria cases diagnosed at Children's National Medical Center (CNMC) in Washington, DC over an 8-year period are retrospectively reviewed. Cases are mapped against Census Bureau population data. These observations are compared with the national burden of pediatric malaria, including both disease severity and cost, by reviewing inpatient malaria cases in the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS), January 2003 to June 2008.

RESULTS
At CNMC, malaria most commonly affects children who traveled to West Africa to visit friends and relatives. Poor adherence to prophylaxis and self-treatment with antimalarial medications were commonly identified. Mapping demonstrates case clustering in communities with large sub-Saharan African populations. The cumulative incidence (CI) of malaria at CNMC of 9.0 per 10,000 admissions is 7.6 times the national average. The CI of malaria at PHIS hospitals is 1.2 per 10,000 admissions with an average cost of $17,519.

CONCLUSIONS
Malaria is a preventable disease for which the risk to life and costs of treatment are significant. Patterns of risk can be used by health planners to target prevention strategies at the community level. In regions with a high density of immigrants, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa, physicians must be aware of the risk, understand recommended prophylaxis and treatment regimens, and advocate for their appropriate use in the community.


To find out whether the extracellular matrix component fibronectin plays a regulatory and protective role in bronchial epithelial cells, the present study was undertaken to detect the NO released from primary cultured rabbit bronchial epithelial cells (BEC) and the activity of NO synthesase (NOS) in cells. Stress with ozone was taken as the positive control, and the effects of fibronectin (Fn) or its specific sequence Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD peptide) was observed. The results showed: (1) Ozone stress enhanced NO release from BEC, and treatment with Fn also promoted the NO production. The effect of Fn could be blocked by calmodulin inhibitor W(7). (2) Both Fn and RGD showed a dose-dependent promotion on NO release. (3) The NOS activity was significantly elevated in Fn treated group and the effect of Fn was abolished by W(7). A dose-response relation in NOS activity was observed in either Fn treated or RGD treated group. It is concluded that the binding of fibronectin or its specific sequence RGD peptide with integrins of BEC plays a role in upregulating the NOS activity and the NO release, and calmodulin may take part in the pathway of signal transduction.


We previously reported that insulin stimulates oxygen consumption by the perfused rat hindquarter after high-intensity exercise. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether fructose 6-phosphate-fructose 1,6-bisphosphate cycling or an uncoupling of mitochondrial respiration contributes to this phenomenon. Hindquarter skeletal muscle was analyzed after perfusion in the absence or presence of insulin (150-200 microU/ml) for high-energy phosphate content, fructose 6-phosphate-fructose 1,6-bisphosphate cycling of glucose before incorporation into glycogen, and mitochondrial respiratory control. Muscle from exercised rats perfused with insulin did not display greater rates of glucose cycling or mitochondrial uncoupling; in fact, insulin decreased the rate of fructose 6-phosphate cycling and tended to increase respiratory control in skeletal muscle mitochondria. In addition, the concentrations of ATP and creatine phosphate and the calculated free ADP level in muscle of previously exercised rats perfused with insulin were similar to those of control rats. The results do not exclude the possibility that localized subcellular changes in ADP occurred, however. In conclusion, the results suggest that insulin-induced increases in other substrate cycles, ion transport systems, and/or as yet unidentified energy-requiring processes account for the 25-30% increase in hindquarter oxygen consumption after intense exercise.


Using the approach by Ranta et al. (2008) we generated a series of realistic community scenarios. For these communities we calculated mean and 95% confidence limits for the community covariance (Box et al. 1978). The results (Fig. 1) suggest that unravelling the significance of competition or environmental modulation influencing dynamics of the community members using the community covariance approach does not always succeed Ruokolainen and Fowler 2008. The results are in clear contrast to what Houlahan et al. (2007, 2008) are proposing, but correspond to our previous results (Ranta et al. 2008, p. 000): ''negative community covariance can be absent even in strongly competitive communities and can be found present in communities without competitive interactions''. This makes scoring community covariance an ineffective tool in terms of finding out what actually causes natural populations to fluctuate. Analysis of natural time series can highlight interesting temporal and spatial patterns that occur in the dynamics of real systems. Without more detailed information of the system, e.g. auxiliary time series (e.g. weather) or information about shared predators, pathogens or spatial processes, little can be understood about the significance of different exogenous variables forcing fluctuations. Using the community covariance method tells us only about the covariance structure of the focal time series, not about the mechanisms driving those patterns.


Background: Publicly insured women usually have a different demographic background to privately insured women, which is related to poor neonatal outcomes after birth. Given the difference in nature and risk of preterm versus term births, it would be important to compare adverse neonatal outcomes after preterm birth between these groups of women after eliminating the demographic differences between the groups. Methods: The study population included 3085 publicly insured and 3380 privately insured, singleton, preterm deliveries (32 – 36 weeks gestation) from Western Australia during 1998 – 2008. From the study population, 1016 publicly insured women were matched with 1016 privately insured women according to the propensity score of maternal demographic characteristics and pre-existing medical conditions. Neonatal outcomes were compared in the propensity score matched cohorts using conditional log-binomial regression, adjusted for antenatal risk factors. Outcomes included Apgar scores less than 7 at five minutes after birth, time until establishment of unassisted breathing (>1 minute), neonatal resuscitation (endotracheal intubation or external cardiac massage) and admission to a neonatal special care unit. Results: Compared with infants of privately insured women, infants of publicly insured women were more likely to receive a low Apgar score (ARR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.06-6.52) and take longer to establish unassisted breathing (ARR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.25-2.07), yet, they were less likely to be admitted to a special care unit (ARR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.80-0.87). No significant differences were evident in neonatal resuscitation between the groups (ARR = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.54-2.67). Conclusions: The underlying reasons for the lower rate of special care admissions in infants of publicly insured women compared with privately insured women despite the higher rate of low Apgar scores is yet to be determined. Future research is warranted in order to clarify the meaning of our findings for future obstetric care and whether more equitable use of paediatric services should be recommended.


This is commonly associated with a trisomy of chromosome 21, although more rarely a translocation is present. It is characterized by a typical facies, short stature, mental deficiency, hypogenitalism, and cardiac anomalies. The hands are short, broad, and flabby, with shortening of the thumb. The little fingers show incurving, shortening, and often the absence of one transverse skin crease. The palm, which has an abnormal pattern of tn-radi, also shows a single transverse skin crease. The typical ocular features include a lightcoloured iris with peripheral pallor and Brushfield's spots; the lens is often cataractous, and keratoconus has been reported.


Dynamic interaction is investigated theoretically between a circular cavity and the surface in a semi-infinite piezoelectric medium subjected to time-harmonic incident anti-plane shearing in the present paper. The formulations are based on the method of complex variable and wave function expandedness. Dynamic stress concentration factors at the edge of the circular cavity are obtained by solving boundary value problems with the method of orthogonal function expansion. The calculating results are plotted so as to show how the frequencies of incident wave, the piezoelectric characteristic parameters of the material and the structural geometries influence upon the dynamic stress concentration factors.Copyright © 2007 by ASME


Abstract: Let f : A −→ B and g : A −→ C be two ring homomorphisms and let J and J ′ be two ideals of B and C, respectively, such that f−1(J) = g−1(J ). In this paper, we give a characterization for the amalgamation of A with B along J with respect to f (denoted by A ⊲⊳ J) to be a SIT-ring and also we give a characterization for the bi-amalgamation of A with (B,C) along (J, J ) with respect to (f, g) (denoted by A ⊲⊳ (J, J )) to be a SITT-ring. We also give some characterizations for strong weakly SIT-rings.


The significance of statistical lack-of-fit tests for hypothesized response functions describing experimental data is traced in some of the recent agricultural economics literature. The statistical test is reviewed in a regression framework and it is shown that the test is related to testing that some of the coefficients in a linear regression model have zero values. Comments are made on the relationship between the lack-of-fit test and the coefficient of determination.


In 2002, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory evaluated 23 Phase II fish screen sites in the Yakima River Basin as part of a multi-year project for the Bonneville Power Administration on the effectiveness of fish screening devices. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory collected data to determine whether velocities in front of the screens and in the bypasses met National Marine Fisheries Service criteria to promote safe and timely fish passage and whether bypass outfall conditions allowed fish to safely return to the river. In addition, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory conducted underwater video surveys to evaluate the environmental and operational conditions of the screen sites with respect to fish passage. Based on evaluations in 2002, PNNL concluded that: (1) In general, water velocity conditions at the screen sites met fish passage criteria set by the National Marine Fisheries Service. (2) Conditions at most facilities would be expected to provide for safe juvenile fish passage. (3) Conditions at some facilities indicate that operation and/or maintenance should be modified to increase safe juvenile fish passage. (4) Automated cleaning brushes generally functioned properly; chains and other moving parts were typically well greased and operative. (5) Removal of sediment buildup and accumulated leafy and woody debris should be improved at some sites.


In a two years study into the infestation of ticks with Borrelia burgdorferi from mice in North Germany 1330 mice out of 11 species could be examined. Altogether 508 mice showed to be parasitized by 1445 ticks belonging to three species of Ixodes. 777 I. ricinus from 334 mice could be tested for B. burgdorferi. In 66 ticks (8.5%) from 34 mice (10.2%) borreliae could be demonstrated. These discoveries came from 9 of 14 investigated forest regions in Lower Saxony.


A mathematical method of determining the values at equilibrium and the constant rates in inter-conversion process of conformational labile molecules is proposed. No measuring method is used. In most of the cases, at equilibrium, the concentrations of the main species are equal. Thus, we have equilibrium of concentrations too. The symmetry plays a central role.


One of the key requirements for the desirable mechanical behavior of buckling restrained braces (BRBs) under severe lateral loading is to prevent overall buckling until the brace member reaches sufficient plastic deformation and ductility. This paper presents finite element analysis results of proposed all-steel buckling restrained braces. The proposed BRBs have identical core sections but different Buckling Restraining Mechanisms (BRMs). The objective of the analyses is to conduct a parametric study of BRBs with different amounts of gaps and cores and BRM contact friction coefficients to investigate the global buckling behavior of the brace. The results of the analyses showed that BRM flexural stiffness could significantly affect the global buckling behavior of a BRB. However, the global buckling response occurred to be strongly dependent upon the magnitude of the friction coefficient between the core and the encasing contact surfaces. In addition, the results showed that the global buckling response of BRBs with direct contact of the core and BRM is more sensitive to the magnitude of contact friction coefficient.