The research aims to identify the current situation of critical thinking (CT) in the Romanian mentality, from the perspective of interventions necessary to increase specific skills. We start from an analysis of the main approaches of CT specific to Western educational practices, these being the reference for a comparative analysis of the situation in Romania. Because we cannot exclude the possibility of the existence of certain CT specific contents camouflaged in the Romanian educational practices (that correspond to the western ones but they have other names), we carry out an analysis of the specific CT contents to observe the differences and possible similarities. Considering that CT involves the ability to discover boundaries (e.g.: discovering one's own cognitive boundaries), we look at the issue of potential boundaries. The approach includes analyzing the risk of CT marketing and the limits of specific CT interventions outlined by the mindsets of different communities. The research includes the evaluation of the existence of cultural limits possibility, starting from the question: "Is there a cultural place of CT (is it a value) in the Romanian mentality?". We evaluate the coherence of CT with social values, considering that in the absence of values that enhance its possibility, the probability of success of CT is diminished. Since we cannot a priori exclude the risk of importing models that do not match the mentality and values of this society, we analyze the problem from the perspective of the shapes without fond theory (a relevant questioning paradigm for Romanian society).


Abstract Objective: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening for food insecurity (FI) at all well-child visits due to well-documented negative effects of experiencing FI in childhood. Before age 3, children have twelve recommended primary care visits at which screening could occur. Little is known regarding the stability of FI status at this frequency of screening. Design: Data derived from electronic health records were used to retrospectively examine the stability of household FI status. Age-stratified (infant v. toddler) analyses accounted for age-based differences in visit frequency. Regression models with time since last screening as the predictor of FI transitions were estimated via generalised estimating equations adjusting for age and race/ethnicity. Setting: A paediatric primary care practice in Philadelphia. Participants: 3451 distinct patients were identified whose health record documented two or more household FI screens between April 1, 2012 and July 31, 2018 and were aged 0–3 years at first screen. Results: Overall, 9·5 % of patients had a transition in household FI status, with a similar frequency of transitioning from food insecure to secure (5·0 %) and from food secure to insecure (4·5 %). Families of toddlers whose last screen was more than a year ago were more likely to experience a transition to FI compared with those screened 0–6 months prior (OR 1·91 (95 % CI 1·05, 3·47)). Conclusions: Screening more than annually may not contribute substantially to the identification of transitions to FI.


In recent years, the jurisdiction of the ECJ had deep impact on the company laws of the Member States. The following report summarizes the judgements of the years 2001–2004 which mainly focussed on the basic freedoms (freedom of establishment, free movement of capital). It will provide a learned analysis of the state of the art, particularly in the fields of relocation, taxation and "golden shares". The text will draw references to literature from all over Europe and finish with a comprehensive list of paneuropean bibliography.


The surface properties of five freshly isolated clinical strains of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and a non-sticky, non-cohesive colonial variant were characterized. On growth in serum-containing and serum-free media, the primary isolates had a high surface free energy, corresponding with the low hydrophobicity observed, using as assay adsorption to hexadecane. The dispersion component of the surface free energy was significantly lower upon growth in serum-free medium. In the electron microscope the cells appeared covered with vesicles. In sharp contrast, the colonial variant had a very low surface free energy but still showed a low hydrophobicity in the hexadecane assay. Expression of the surface free energy characteristics in serum-grown cultures appeared strongly dependent on cell treatment, suggesting a significant influence of an adsorbed proteinaceous layer. The cells of the variant strain generally carried fewer surface vesicles. No major difference was observed in the outer membrane protein composition between parent and variant strain.


A pair of back-to-back (morning and afternoon) hydrology sessions, held December 10, 1987, at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., covered "Predicting the Effects of Acidic Deposition on Surface Water Chemistry." The combined sessions included four invited papers, 12 contributed papers, and a panel discussion at its conclusion. The gathering dealt with questions on a variety of aspects of modeling the effects of acidic deposition on surface water chemistry.

Contributed papers included discussions on the representation of processes in models as well as limiting assumptions in model application (V. S. Tripathi et al., Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn., and E. C. Krug, Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign), along with problems in estimating depositional inputs to catchments and thus inputs to be used in the simulation of catchment response (M. M. Reddy et al., U.S. Geological Survey, Lakewood, Colo.; and E. A. McBean, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada). L. A. Baker et al. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis) dealt with the problem of modeling seepage lake systems, an exceedingly important portion of the aquatic resources in Florida and parts of the upper U.S. Midwest. J. A. Hau and Y. Eckstein (Kent State University, Kent, Ohio) considered equilibrium modeling of two northern Ohio watersheds that receive very different loads of acidic deposition but are highly similar in other respects.


Professional Nursing Practice Model (PNPM) is a design of nursing practice which is system (structure, process and professional values) allows the nurses to manage nursing care professionally. The research aimed at analysing the impact of the application of the Professional Nursing Practice Model (PNPM) on the nurses' performance in the Regional General Hospital of Lanto Dg Pasewang, Jeneponto Regency in April 2013. This was a cross sectional study design research. Data were collected by the questionnaire and interview to 128 nurses who worked in Inpatient Installation of the Regional General Hospital of Lanto Dg Pasewang, Jeneponto Regency. The research result indicates that there is no impact of PNPM application to the nurses' working capability (p=0.463) and opportunity (p=0.376). There is positive impact of PNPM application to the nurses' working motivation (p=0.046). There is positive influence between the working capability, motivation, and opportunity on the nurses' performance. PNPM application has positive effect on the nurses' performance (p=0,033) in Inpatient Installation of the Regional General Hospital of Lanto Dg Pasewang, Jeneponto Regency.


: Purpose: This paper summarizes the effect of empirical debate on the topic of female entrepreneurship in Malaysia. The study was based on a highly systematic method of hypothesis, the researcher's systematization and statistical generalizations of experimental developments provided the foundation for the formulation of the hypothesis, and observational experiments were aimed at evaluating this hypothesis and describing the causal associations between the variables. Design/Methodology/Approach: A survey of 100 respondents is used to collect data and the findings of an analytical review of survey data enabled the identification of three major groups of factors that stymie the growth of female entrepreneurship in Malaysia, namely lack of enforcement. The impact of both influences on the growth of value-added from female entrepreneurs' businesses was investigated in the paper using statistical analysis. Findings: The findings of this study corroborate those women entrepreneurs fail due to gender discrimination, gender-biased stereotypes, family obligations, a lack of funds, and a perception of male dominance, all of which are highly influential factors in Malaysia. Practical implication: The researcher proposes that federal and state government agencies and municipal governments must ensure financial assistance for female entrepreneurs, paternity policies and incentives for mothers, anti-discrimination enforcement, and educational efforts centered on female entrepreneurship empowerment. This study can overcome women's reluctance to engage in entrepreneurship not only in Malaysia, but also in other developing countries. Originality/Value: Although changing these established ideas might take time, it is vital for long-term change. The key obligation of the government and society will be to acknowledge the magnitude of the obstacles faced by female entrepreneurs, which may already be on the government's agenda.


Red cells collected in CPD, suspended in SAGM solution and stored for 42 days at +4 degrees C, were tested before and after incubation for 1 h at 37 degrees C with respect to autologous 24-hour posttransfusion red cell survival, morphology, fluidity at low shear rate and adenylate content. Warming and to some extent chromium labelling of the cells resulted in improvement of the morphology and fluidity but in no increase in adenosine triphosphate, total adenylate concentration or posttransfusion survival. The conclusion is drawn that short-term improvement of the morphology before transfusion does not result in increased viability.


Tic disorder, characterized by the presence of both motor and vocal tics is common in adolescents and adults. Antipsychotics including typical antipsychotics and atypical antipsychotics are generally recognized by experts as the most effective pharmacological treatment for tics. However, previous studies suggest that tic-like symptoms might manifest during treatment with atypical antipsychotics such as clozapine, quetiapine, but not aripiprazole. We present the first case, to our knowledge, of an adult schizophrenia patient who developed tics during treatment with aripiprazole.


Abstract Appearing culturally "gender-normative" represents one of the ways that gender identity is salient to others. In the context of continued controversy surrounding children's gender role development in sexual minority parent families, the current study examined gender presentation (i.e., appearing gender-conforming or nonconforming) among adopted children and their lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parents across two time points over a five-year period (Wave 1: N = 106 families, child Mage  = 36.07 months; Wave 2: N = 96 families, child Mage  = 8.34 years). Children's and parents' gender presentation were observed and rated, focusing on gender-typed clothing and accessories, and then children's gender presentation was compared with their self-reported friendship quality. Children and parents alike generally demonstrated a gender-conforming presentation; there were limited differences by parental sexual orientation (e.g., lesbian mothers displayed greater nonconforming presentation than other parents). There was also no difference by parental sexual orientation in children's reports of friendship quality. Gender presentation was associated across time, with children's nonconforming gender presentation in Wave 1 being positively associated with their nonconforming presentation in Wave 2. Children's nonconforming gender presentation was negatively associated with children's friendships with an interaction effect such that gender-nonconforming girls, but not boys, reported lower quality friendships.


Applying Varying Pseudonyms (VP) to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) authentication out-performs the other approaches in several respects; however, this approach is prone to the denial-of-service (DOS) attack. In this paper, we examine the de-synchronization problems of VP-based RFID authentication protocols.


JAPANTOKYO-- Ten years after filing suit to block construction of a government laboratory, and 6 years after it opened for business, a retired professor and neighborhood activist last week argued before a Tokyo district court that the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in downtown Tokyo poses unacceptable health risks to residents and that its research should be halted. The institute disagrees. In a country where successful challenges to government institutions are rare, the case is being watched closely.


The crisis in Darfur led to one of the most powerful advocacy campaigns in recent US history. Responding to intense political pressures from this campaign, the US engaged Sudan in a heated public confrontation, increasingly echoing the rhetoric of an advocacy campaign that was surprisingly indifferent to realities on the ground in Darfur. This article examines how the exceptional mobilization around Darfur affected US policy and diplomatic outcomes, using the case to explore larger theoretical questions around deception and truthfulness in International Relations. There was a curious disconnect between the exceptionally strong language US leaders used during the crisis, and the failure of these public claims, promises and threats to achieve the desired diplomatic outcomes. Such strong language should have bolstered US arguments to persuade allies to support measures against Sudan, given the US bargaining leverage with Sudan, and opened opportunities for activists to rhetorically entrap US officials into defending the norms they publicly invoked. Instead, I argue that US leaders bullshitted their way through the crisis in response to advocacy and the demands it generated. Far from being a harmless form of moral posturing, this complicated US diplomatic efforts and undermined the prospects for a political solution in Darfur.


INTRODUCTION:
A perfect alignment between the motor system of two eyes
is responsible for viewing an object as single. The extraocular muscles of
both eyes work in co-ordination. When any one or more of these falter,
it may manifest as double vision , deviation of eyes or sometimes with
pain. Patients may sometimes present to the ophthalmologist for one of these
complaints ,may be referred by another physician or be seen accidentally while
they just come for a routine checkup. This may be one of the first
manifestation of a serious emergency like a posterior communicating artery
aneurysm or a multisystem disease like diabetes. So every case has to be
evaluated and its probable etiology identified. Here lies the role of an
ophthalmologist to decide whether follow up and observation will suffice or
may require emergency intervention by a neurosurgeon.
AIM OF THE STUDY:
1. To study the disease patterns, etiologies and pathogenesis of the
infranuclear lesions of III, IV and VI cranial nerves (the ocular
motor nerves)
2. To study the relationship of glycemic and hypertensive control
in ischemic ocular motor nerve palsies.
3. To compare the usefulness of the various investigative
techniques
4. To study the recovery pattern of the nerve palsies
MATERIALS & METHODS:
The cases studied included those patients with neurogenic ocular motor
nerve palsies who present to the ophthalmology department, Government
Rajaji Hospital, Madurai as well as those who were referred from other
departments like diabetology, neuromedicine, neurosurgery or the surrounding
primary and secondary health care centres. All age groups and both sexes
were included. A complete ophthalmological workup was done.
Inclusion Criteria :
1. All infranuclear ocular motor nerve palsies
2. III, IV, VI cranial nerves alone or in combination.
Exclusion Criteria :
All supranuclear, nuclear nerve palsies, myogenic and restrictive
neuropathies
SUMMARY: Of the 50 cases studied, the age group ranged from 2-72 years. 80%
of cases were in the 15-60 years group. IV nerve palsy occurred in
15-45 year group commonly. VI nerve palsies occurred in a wide
range.
There was a slight preponderance in males (54%) than in females
(46%).
The right eye was involved in (44%) 22 cases, left eye in (42%) 21
cases and both eyes involved in 7 cases (14%) 6 due to VI nerve
palsy and 1 case of IV nerve palsy.
CONCLUSION:
The following conclusions were made from the above observations
1. The cranial nerve palsies occur in a wide age group but was more
common between 15-60 years
2. Laterality was not significant
3. Unilateral cases were commoner than bilateral cases
4. Gender difference was not significant
5. VI nerve palsy was the commonest, followed by III nerve, next IV
nerve and multiple nerve palsy least common.
6. Of all, the vascular etiology was the commonest. Trauma was the
next common.
7. Diabetes and hypertension were common associations either
alone or together. Poor systemic control of the above was
associated with nerve palsies
8. Those with vascular ocular motor nerve palsies belonged to older
age group (45-60 years) when compared to those with trauma
who presented at an earlier age.
9. Nearly one – fifth of the cases were undetermined.
10. Neuroimaging done in the early period for all indicated cases
improved the diagnostic possibilities. Due to the cost of the tests
and patient's affordability, it could not be done in a few patients.
MRA and angiography can improve the detection rates, if done at
an early period and reduce the number of undetermined cases.
11. Nearly three fourths had complete or partial recovery
12. A careful history, general and complete ophthalmological workup
with necessary basic investigations have to be done in all cases.
Timely neuroimaging and specialist opinion are necessary
although financial problems have restrained and facilities have to
be improved.


Rock-inhabiting fungi were isolated for rock walls in Golubinka and Medova Buža littoral anchialine caves in Croatia and tested for their halotolerance. Isolates were identified as Cladosporium psychrotolerans, C. delicatulum, Mucor circinelloides, Rhizopus stolonifer, Aureobasidium pullulans var. pullulans, and Talaromyces diversus. Of them, T. diversus appears most resistant to cosmotropic (NaCl) and chaotropic (KCl) salts. It was also the most common species isolated from rock walls. Despite the negative influence of salinity on acid production, we propose that some fungal strains can be recognized as active agents in carbonate dissolution and as good competitors on rocks in saline environments. Anchialine caves can be a refugium for unique halotolerant fungi.


Voice signal processing algorithms such as P.861 PSQM (perceptual speech quality measure) and P.862 PESQ (perceptual evaluation of speech quality) have been recommended by the ITU-T for the objective measurement of subjective speech quality. The algorithms have been implemented in commercially available products to measure the end-to-end speech quality of voice-over-IP (VoIP) calls. Such measurements are carried out by transmitting a packetized reference speech signal and then applying PSQM or PESQ to the received signal and the original reference to obtain an objective quality score. The measurements are intrusive since test calls are injected into the network. We develop a novel passive method for measuring and monitoring speech quality in live (i.e. in progress) VoIP calls. In contrast to the intrusive methods, the passive method does not require the transmission of any reference speech signal. Instead, the method operates directly on VoIP packet streams copied from the network and applies the ITU-T objective speech quality processing algorithms to the copied voice signals and specially constructed 'pseudo-packet' stream signals. Thus there is no need for any sending devices. The proposed passive method inherits the accuracy that is already provided by the ITU-T objective methods.


Background In vitro studies have shown inhibitory effects of magnesium (Mg) on phosphate-induced calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells, raising the possibility that maintaining a high Mg level may be useful for reducing cardiovascular risks of patients with hyperphosphatemia. We examined how serum Mg levels affect the association between serum phosphate levels and the risk of cardiovascular mortality in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods A nationwide register-based cohort study was conducted using database of the Renal Data Registry of the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy in 2009. We identified 142,069 patients receiving in-center hemodialysis whose baseline serum Mg and phosphate levels were available. Study outcomes were one-year cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Serum Mg levels were categorized into three groups (lower, <2.7 mg/dL; intermediate, ≥2.7, <3.1 mg/dL; and higher, ≥3.1 mg/dL). Results During follow-up, 11,401 deaths occurred, out of which 4,751 (41.7%) were ascribed to cardiovascular disease. In multivariable analyses, an increase in serum phosphate levels elevated the risk of cardiovascular mortality in the lower- and intermediate-Mg groups, whereas no significant risk increment was observed in the higher-Mg group. Moreover, among patients with serum phosphate levels of ≥6.0 mg/dL, the cardiovascular mortality risk significantly decreased with increasing serum Mg levels (adjusted odds ratios [95% confidence intervals] of the lower-, intermediate-, and higher-Mg groups were 1.00 (reference), 0.81 [0.66–0.99], and 0.74 [0.56–0.97], respectively.). An interaction between Mg and phosphate on the risk of cardiovascular mortality was statistically significant (P = 0.03). Conclusion Serum Mg levels significantly modified the mortality risk associated with hyperphosphatemia in patients undergoing hemodialysis.


Our main result states that if G is a finitely generated soluble group having a normal Abelian subgroup A , such that G/A and ⟨x, a⟩ are nilpotent (respectively, finite-by-nilpotent, periodic-by-nilpotent, nilpotent-by-finite, finite-by-supersoluble, supersoluble-by-finite) for all (x, a) ∈ G × A , then so is G . We deduce that if X is a subgroup and quotient closed class of groups and if all 2 -generated Abelian-by-cyclic groups of X are nilpotent (respectively, finite-by-nilpotent, periodic-by-nilpotent, nilpotent-by-finite, finite-by-supersoluble, supersoluble-by-finite), then so are all finitely generated soluble groups of X . We give examples that show that our main result is not true for other classes of groups, like the classes of Abelian, supersoluble, and FC -groups.


The increasing requirement for robotic applications in dynamic unstructured environments is motivating the need for dextrous end-effectors which have the wide variety of tasks and objects encountered in these environments. The human hand is a very complex grasping tool that can handle objects of different sizes and shapes. Many research activities have been carried out to develop artificial robot hands with capabilities similar to the human hand. In this paper we present an experimental performance for the validation of a robotic hand gripper for industrial applications. In particular this researches focus on the compatibility of the gripper with the Fara robot arm, developed by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. This hand gripper is the wide working space compared with its physical dimensions and the capability to deal with objects in working environment conditions. This capability is achieved by using force/torque sensor and by properly controlling and coordinating the gripper and the carrying arm. After a brief illustration on the main features of the gripper, the experimental activity is presented and the results achieved are discussed. This system also aims to substitute the astronauts in periodical operations with a semi-autonomous robotic device. Note that with this control structure, it is also very simple to connect the arm/gripper system using Internet to other computational resources or robotic devices, for example to emulate tele-operation tasks.


In this paper, a novel vertical radio frequency (RF) transition with a passively switched defected ground structure (DGS) compensating for the RF connection between different substrates is presented. The proposed transition consists of spring contact probes (SCPs), dielectric supporters for SCPs, microstrip lines with DGS on dielectric substrates, and the metal chassis on which they are installed. For this type of vertical transition using SCPs, the substrate is pushed up by the pressure of SCPs, which produces an air gap between its ground plane and metal chassis and causes an impedance mismatch. A passively switched DGS is utilized to compensate for it. Without the air gap, the DGS is in an OFF state since both sides of the DGS are short-circuited by the metal chassis. Furthermore, with the air gap, the DGS is ON and operates as a compensation circuit. The operation and effectiveness of the proposed transition is verified by electromagnetic simulation, fabrication, and measurement. The measurement results show that the vertical transition utilizing the proposed DGS achieves a better return loss than the one without the DGS by 3 dB at X-band with the simulated air gap.


Comparing K+ spectra at low transverse momenta for different symmetric collision systems at beam energies around 1 AGeV allows for a direct determination of both the strength of the K+ nucleus potential as well as of the K+N rescattering cross section in a hadronic environment. Other little known or unknown quantities which enter the K+ dynamics, like the production cross sections of K+ mesons or the hadronic equation of state, do not spoil this signal as they cancel by using ratios of spectra. This procedure is based on transport model calculations using the Isospin Quantum Molecular Dynamics (IQMD) model which describes the available data quantitatively.


Rural livelihoods in most developing countries are threatened by climate-related risks such as drought, flood, heat waves, storms, and so on. Although farmers have adopted several adaptation strategies, they have proven less effective than hoped. Hence, index-based livestock insurance, an innovation that significantly assists farmers to acclimatise to climate-related risks, has been proposed; and its adaptability has attracted a notable increase in other African countries. However, the success of its adoption is dependent on the inclination of the farmers to pay for the service. Accordingly, this study investigates their willingness to pay for index-based livestock insurance and its determinants, and the factors influencing the total livestock units to be insured in the North West province of South Africa. Cross-sectional data were obtained from 277 cattle farmers, drawn randomly from the study area. The contingent valuation method was applied to determine the farmers' willingness to pay; and only 10.8% were willing to pay. Simultaneously, the Heckit sample selection model was used to analyse the data to identify the factors responsible for farmers' willingness to pay and total livestock units to insure. The findings revealed that farmer's experience, age, education, marital status, awareness of insurance and household dependents were statistically significant, and influenced the maximum price R600 ($42, max willingness to pay, WTP) of those who accepted index-based livestock insurance. However, by implication, the study concluded that to adopt index-based livestock insurance in the study area among the livestock farmers, there should be policies to cater for the aforementioned factors.


Cross sections for capture of two to five electrons are found to exceed the cross section for capture of a single electron for close collisions of 47 MeV Ca17+ ions with Ar atoms. Close collisions are selected by coincident detection of a Ca K or Ar K X-ray and a Ca ion that has undergone electron capture. The corresponding electron capture charge-state distribution can be fitted with a binomial distribution, which is consistent with independent electron-capture and suggests an absence of electron correlation in the multiple-electron capture process. Total electron capture cross sections, in which close collisions are not selected, are found to be much larger than the X-ray coincidence cross sections, and to decrease monotonically with increasing number of electrons captured.


Carbohydrate craving can cause weight gain in affected people and is present in women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and persons with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The neurotransmitter serotonin regulates carbohydrate intake; its precursor, tryptophan, enhances serotonin release. Animal studies have shown that serotonergic drugs decrease carbohydrate consumption. Three studies of the eating patterns of over 150 obese subjects have shown that carbohydrate craving occurred at specific times, that is, at 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. A serotonergic drug (D-fenfluramine) has been shown to decrease carbohydrate consumption by 40%. Further dietary and pharmacological studies of PMS and SAD are needed to determine serotonin's involvement with symptoms of depressed mood, increased fatigue, and carbohydrate craving.


Thermally induced decay of longitudinally recorded magnetic transitions is measured on a spin-stand. The decay rate increases with increased linear density and decreases with increased media coercivity. A new spin-stand experimental technique has been developed which allows measurements of the time dependence of the media coercivity as a function of write times spanning short times characteristic of write times in drives to long times associated with VSM measurements. The ratio of long to short write time coercivity was larger for media which are thermally unstable.


Emergency behaviors of nonliterate groups are taken as a useful starting point for demonstrating that decisions can be integrated more directly into cultural analysis and that the explanatory pay-offs can be far-reaching. The methodological feasibility of studying group decisions directly is explored through three exceptional tribal ethnographies with a focus on emergency adaptive problem solving and its implications for both cultural- and gene-selection theory. Urgently discussed decision alternatives become apprehensible to fieldworkers through open group debate, while the reproductive effects of decisions are readily assessed whenever groups act in unison. Implications for the development of a more effective theory of cultural microselection and a truly processual definition of culture in its guided phase are suggested. With respect to long-term genetic evolution, the implications of emergency decision making are extended to foragers, exploring special possibilities that enable genetic group selection to become robust when groups are egalitarian and engage in consensual problem solving. Prehistorically, the verdict is that group-selection effects were amplified at the same time that individual effects were suppressed. On this basis it is hypothesized that the genetic evolution of human cooperative and altruistic tendencies can be explained in part by selection at the level of groups rather than inclusive fitness


Considered in particular were the toughness requirements at low temperatures, the safe weldability, and the minimum sensitivity against temper embrittlement at stress-relieving temperatures of Steel 20 MnMoNi 5 5, corresponding to ASTM A 508 Class 3. High-temperature tensile and creep properties up to 450°C had to be met. These targets were achieved by applying the production steps as follows: 1. The steelmaking was done according to the Buderus calcium-argon blowing (CAB) process. The low sulfur contents of 0.002% and lower and the special pouring technology to achieve low segregation rates are the basic reasons for the outstanding toughness and the isotropy of the material properties. 2. The forging technology, in particular the temperature range and the deformation rate, was designed to produce fine-grain structure already in the as-forged condition. 3. A newly developed, three-step, quality heat treatment is most important for the hardening through and the toughness level of the heavy section. 4. The report submits a discussion of the dimensional limits for 20 MnMoNi 5 5 forgings produced according to different technologies.


The authors examine two different non-geostationary satellite constellation networks with inter-satellite links for global air traffic control and air passenger communication. After developing a traffic model for aeronautical communication services, the authors derive bandwidth requirements for such a global system. The influence of different routing policies is discussed and they show that link loads are comparable for both medium earth orbit and low earth orbit constellations. All considerations are based on real global flight data of all commercial flights during 1 day.


Background: The etiopathogenesis of Pityriasis rosea (PR), a papulo-squamous skin disease, remains elusive and hypothesized to be caused primarily by human herpesvirus (HHV) 6 or 7 or immune dysfunction. Aims: The recent increasing incidences of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, including asymptomatic occult HBV infections (OBIs), in a densely populated city in India, prompted us to investigate whether PR patients (from varied socioeconomic and immune status) harbor the underlying HBV infections. These cases were also investigated for HHV 6 and 7 infections. Materials and Methods: DNA from ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid blood samples from PR-diagnosed individuals (n = 13; mostly young adults) and healthy controls (n = 11) were subjected to virus gene-specific polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) for HBV and HHV 6 and 7. PCR products of expected length, when observed, were sequenced (bidirectional) using overlapping primers. Sequences were identified by NCBI BLAST and analyzed by multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic studies. The blood samples were tested for HBsAg by EIA. Results: In 5/13 PR samples, only HBV DNA (4/5 being HBsAg negative) was detected, providing first-time evidence that PR may be manifested in asymptomatic HBV carriers. 6/13 cases were HHV 7 (not HHV 6) DNA positive, providing confirmatory molecular genetic evidence for the first time of PR association with HHV 7 from India. Surprisingly, 5/6 HHV 7-positive PR cases were also HBV positive. Overall, 10/13 PR samples showed evidence of HBV infection. 8/13 were OBI, harboring at least one OBI-signature S protein mutation. All healthy controls were HBsAg EIA and PCR negative. Conclusions: 77% of PR patients presented the evidence of underlying HBV infection (genotype D2), suggestive of horizontal HBV transmission. This warrants for mass HBV vaccination. PR patients should be tested for underlying virus infections for appropriate therapy and management.


Data-driven research in Additive Manufacturing (AM) has gained significant success in recent years. This has led to a plethora of scientific literature to emerge. The knowledge in these works consists of AM and Artificial Intelligence (AI) contexts that have not been mined and formalized in an integrated way. Moreover, no tools or guidelines exist to support data-driven knowledge transfer from one context to another. As a result, data-driven solutions using specific AI techniques are being developed and validated only for specific AM process technologies. There is a potential to exploit the inherent similarities across various AM technologies and adapt the existing solutions from one process or problem to another using AI, such as Transfer Learning. We propose a three-step knowledge transferability analysis framework in AM to support data-driven AM knowledge transfer. As a prerequisite to transferability analysis, AM knowledge is featurized into identified knowledge components. The framework consists of pre-transfer, transfer, and post-transfer steps to accomplish knowledge transfer. A case study is conducted between flagship metal AM processes. Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) is the source of knowledge motivated by its relative matureness in applying AI over Directed Energy Deposition (DED), which drives the need for knowledge transfer as the less explored target process. We show successful transfer at different levels of the data-driven solution, including data representation, model architecture, and model parameters. The pipeline of AM knowledge transfer can be automated in the future to allow efficient cross-context or cross-process knowledge exchange.


ABSTRACT Take good care of yourself is a regard often said to older bereaved women. However, what does it mean? Though self-care is a well-known phenomenon within health, it is not well understood in the context of late life spousal bereavement and widowhood. We undertook an integrative review to synthesize knowledge of older women's self-care challenges, resources and activities when bereaved and in a healthy transition to widowhood. Good care refers to health-promoting self-care and can be explained as the older widows' ability to access and mobilize resources and activities that are significant for a healthy transition to widowhood.


Objectives Increased arterial stiffness occurs early in hypertension and is considered to play an important role in cardiovascular events. Xuezhikang, an extract of Cholestin, contains statin-like components. We hypothesized that Xuezhikang treatment can reduce arterial stiffness in patients with essential hypertension. Methods 100 essential hypertension patients were prospectively enrolled to Xuezhikang group (1200 mg/day) and placebo group. Physical examination, lipid profiles, high sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP), matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9), arterial stiffness parameters, including β, Ep, AC, AI and PWVβ measured by Echo Tracking technique, were measured at baseline and after 6 months' therapy in all subjects. Results 90 cases with completed data were selected at the end of the study. The Xuezhikang group (n = 46; age, 58.4 ± 10.0 years) and placebo group (n = 44; age, 57.1 ± 10.4 years) were well balanced with respect to clinical characteristics, use of medications, lipid profiles and arterial stiffness parameters. Xuezhikang group significantly reduced the levels of β, Ep and PWVβ from baseline (8.4 ± 3.1 vs. 6.8 ± 2.1, p = 0.007; 122.8 ± 43.9 vs. 100.7 ± 33.2, p = 0.009; 6.7 ± 1.2 vs. 6.1 ± 1.0, p = 0.013), but placebo group didn't. There were significant reductions of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in Xuezhikang group (5.5 ± 0.7 vs. 5.1 ± 0.6, p = 0.013; 3.4 ± 0.6 vs. 2.9 ± 0.5, p = 0.001), but not in placebo group. Xuezhikang therapy also significantly reduced hs-CRP and MMP-9 from baseline [2.1 (0.4-10.0) vs. 1.4(0.3- 4.1), p = 0.020; 17.2 ± 2.4 vs. 12.7 ± 3.8, p<0.001], but placebo group didn't. Of interest, the percent change of β, Ep and PWVβ in Xuezhikang group was significantly correlated with the percent change of hs-CRP or MMP-9 (r = 0.125, p = 0.039; r = 0.297, p = 0.038; r = 0.278, p = 0.030 respectively), but not with lipid profiles. Conclusions 6 months' Xuezhikang treatment in hypertensive patients can reduce arterial stiffness, independent of lipid lowering effects. It seems that several statins' cholesterol-independent effects, such as anti-inflammation and reducing extracellular matrix degeneration, might play the role in improving arterial stiffness in patients with essential hypertension.


A technique is developed for designing two-dimensional (2-D) separable-denominator digital filters in the spatial domain. The proposed technique utilizes the impulse response Grammians considered for 2-D separable-denominator digital filters. These Grammians are extensions of that proposed for single-input/single-output 1-D linear systems. The stability of the resulting filter is always guaranteed. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the use of the proposed technique.<<ETX>>


This is a conceptual article dealing with the role of motivated reasoning in vendor selection. The authors argue that organizational buyers' motivated reasoning, along with the task characteristics of perceived importance and familiarity, plays an important role in determining whether an open or a closed consideration will be used for vendor selection. Based on the relationship between motivated reasoning and task characteristics, the authors develop several propositions.


A structural explanation of psychosomatic personality structure is proposed, that of a functional or physical deconnection of the two cerebral hemispheres. If the affective and symbolic energies of the right hemisphere cannot be externalized through verbal expressions of the left hemisphere (alexithymia), then they are apt to be directed inward, thereby contributing to psychosomatic personality structure. In an experiment, 8 cerebral commissurotomy patients and 8 precision-matched normal control subjects were shown a 3-minute videotaped film symbolically depicting the deaths of a baby and a boy. Gottschalk-Gleser content analysis of the subjects' verbal responses to the film was carried out for anxiety and hostility scales. A complex of shame and total anxiety in combination with hostility directed both inward and outward, was interpreted as an indicator of 'psychosomatic personality structure'. Cerebral commissurotomy patients showed a significantly higher level of psychosomatic personality structure than did normal controls.


Wireless and Ethernet communications aim at millimeter-wave frequency operation and gigabit-per-second data transmission. Increased data rates in wireless systems can only be achieved at frequencies beyond 60 GHz or 80 GHz and in 100 Gbit/s (100-G) data transmission over fibre. Both systems are fundamental to emerging consumer and professional applications. These systems start to emerge as near future applications and are subject of ongoing research activities in Europe, for example within the EU FP6 GIBON project. Wireless systems with over 100 GHz carriers as well as first over 100-G fibre systems were reported. These communication systems present new challenges for circuit designers. The presentation will be devoted to technologies and various aspects of circuit design for 100 G applications. We will present overview on wired and wireless systems demonstrating the challenges of this research including design challenges, relevant trade-offs and the present bottlenecks. Different system architectures will be presented with their impact on component requirements. Similarities and differences of wired and wireless applications will be pointed out. Design methodologies, necessary tools and circuit performances obtained in various technologies (Si, SiGe, GaAs and InP) will be presented and discussed. Finally, modeling, measurements and packaging problems at such high frequencies/speeds will be also addressed.


The performance of thermally cross-linkable hollow fiber membranes for CO2/CH4 separation and the membrane stability against CO2 plasticization was investigated. The fiber membranes were thermally cross-linked at various conditions. Cross-linking temperature was found to have a significant effect, while shorter soak time and the presence of trace oxidizer (O2 or N2O) had a negligible effect. The cross-linked fibers were tested using high CO2 content feeds (50–70% CO2) at a variety of feed pressures (up to 1000 psia), temperatures, and permeate pressures (up to 100 psia) to evaluate membrane performance under various realistic operating conditions. The results demonstrated that cross-linking improves membrane selectivity and effectively eliminates swelling-induced hydrocarbon loss at high pressures. Excellent stability under aggressive feeds (with CO2 partial pressure up to 700 psia) suggests that cross-linked hollow fiber membranes have great potential for use in diverse aggressive applications, even beyo...


While American education is often considered a meritocratic institution, race acts as a structuring agent (Delgado and Stefancic 2001), creating palpably different race-based experiences and outcomes. Not only is it important to uncover the complicated ways in which race and racism are manifested in educational settings, but it is also necessary to understand the varied and disregarded effects that nuanced forms of racism have on brown and black students. Using Critical Race Theory Methodology and relying on the counter-narratives of 31 students of color at a white university in the US Southeast, this study finds that respondents are emotionally, academically, and socially affected by microaggressions, or subtle and overlooked forms of racism and gendered racism in various campus settings. Through subtle cues, brown and black students are reminded constantly that their race matters, and that it is a cue for countless academic and behavioral assumptions that they must continually work to disprove. Respondents discuss social and cognitive burdens associated with navigating through white spaces as brown and black people while whites are privileged to act in and experience college as "just students." Findings indicate a need for effective awareness efforts to replace superficial ones that reinforce inequities.


This article deals with problems related with the transformation processes of university teaching, based on the analysis of the role and functions of educational consultants recognised as members of a profession assisting the development of these processes. The description of the current situation of universities, the structure of the field of University Pedagogy and Teaching in Argentina, the presentation of a model to analyse the attributes that identify institutional consultants, together with the recognition of the theoretical perspectives that define their actions, are all elements that provide a framework to consider the results of research that has the university educational consultant at its core.


The frequency and severity of dysentery and hepatic abscess during the colonial and republican era in Chile are reviewed. The amebian etiology was confirmed in both clinical entities. Also, Miguel Claro Vásquez, physician and later priest and bishop of the Catholic Church, was distinguished for his contribution to hepatic abscess surgery.


This paper proposes embedded Gaussian Process Barrier States (GP-BaS), a methodology to safely control unmodeled dynamics of nonlinear system using Bayesian learning. Gaussian Processes (GPs) are used to model the dynamics of the safety-critical system, which is subsequently used in the GP-BaS model. We derive the barrier state dynamics utilizing the GP posterior, which is used to construct a safety embedded Gaussian process dynamical model (GPDM). We show that the safety-critical system can be controlled to remain inside the safe region as long as we can design a controller that renders the BaS-GPDM's trajectories bounded (or asymptotically stable). The proposed approach overcomes various limitations in early attempts at combining GPs with barrier functions due to the abstention of restrictive assumptions such as linearity of the system with respect to control, relative degree of the constraints and number or nature of constraints. This work is implemented on various examples for trajectory optimization and control including optimal stabilization of unstable linear system and safe trajectory optimization of a Dubins vehicle navigating through an obstacle course and on a quadrotor in an obstacle avoidance task using GP differentiable dynamic programming (GP-DDP). The proposed framework is capable of maintaining safe optimization and control of unmodeled dynamics and is purely data driven.


Well-designed and manufactured glass fiber reinforced polymer composite structures have several advantages over steel and conventional concrete structures such as high strength-to-weight ratio, good stiffness, good corrosion resistance and good damping capacity. In view of their higher cost however, their use is restricted to structures with smaller dimensions such as pedestrian walkways particularly where aggressive environmental conditions are encountered such as in chemical and water-treatment plants. The keys to success of these structures lie in the proper choice of the constituent materials, manufacturing method and knowledge of the behavior of the structure under the conditions encountered. Knowledge of the mechanical behavior is particularly important in this context. An investigation was therefore conducted by the authors, in partial fulfillment for the award of master of engineering science degree of Lamar University to the first author under the supervision of the second author [1], to study the response to loading of a glass fiber reinforced polyester composite structure made by the pultrusion process by a reputed manufacturer. The structure chosen for this study was a grating, the details of which are shown in the paper. This type of structure is particularly useful for walkways. The experimental part of the investigation consisted of subjecting the grating to three-point bend test under different loading conditions. The load-deflection curve for each case was obtained and interpreted. One grating was loaded up to failure and the fractured zone was examined using a scanning electron microscope to interpret the microscopic failure features. Simulation of the experimental work was carried out using an industry-standard FEM software to compare the deflection values. The results are presented and discussed in this paper.


Models describing kinetics and equilibria of sorption were compared by using phosphorus sorption data for sediments from Little Rock Lake (Vilas County, WI) at pH 4.5-6.0. A maximum sorption capacity was not exhibited by the sediments, but sorption continued to increase (slowly) as solution (P{sub i}) increased. Sorption equilibria and kinetics thus did not fit well to simple models that assume homogeneous binding sites but were described by models that incorporate either a distribution of intrinsic binding energies or variable binding caused by a change in electrostatic potential with increasing surface coverage. The variance in sediment affinity for P{sub i} described by current models (log K = 5.99 {plus minus} 5.00) realistically cannot be ascribed solely to variation in intrinsic binding energies among different sites, but can be accounted for by a range in pH{sub zpc} values of 3 pH units. Sediments were slow to reach equilibrium (>54 h), especially at high pH and low initial P{sub i}, consistent with a conceptual model of rapid adsorption followed by a period of intraparticle diffusion.


We offer a new analysis of the semantics of the English it-cleft, building on recent work on exclusive particles such as "only." The analysis emphasizes the discourse function of clefts — which, we claim, is to terminate a line of inquiry by marking an answer as complete. It accounts for the semantic effects — not previously appreciated — of focus placement within the cleft pivot. It also provides a solution to a previously discussed problem with the projection of exhaustivity from embedded contexts.


Feed spacers in spiral‐wound reverse osmosis membrane modules are highly susceptible to deposition or attachment of suspended particulates and organic matters in the feed stream. This type of fouling can cause a significant pressure drop along the membrane channel (differential pressure) without much effect on the average permeate flux. In practical applications, membrane cleaning is often triggered when the differential pressure in a membrane channel exceeds a threshold value. A mathematical model was developed to simulate the development of differential pressure in the feed channel resulting from foulant capture by the feed spacers. Simulations were carried out to investigate and demonstrate the effect of various parameters on differential pressures in the membrane channel. Differential pressures observed in a two‐stage reverse osmosis water reclamation plant were simulated with the model, and the results showed that the model could adequately describe the increase of differential pressure with operating time in the reverse osmosis plant.


SUBMITTED 21 Dec 2020 REVISED 20 Jan 2021 ACCEPTED 15 Feb 2021 ABSTRACT Islamic education in society 5.0 faces various complex problems, lack of adequate resources, lack of teachers', lecturers', and educational personnel's competence. Addiction to technology causes students to lose their character and morals. Increasing the competence of teachers and students is significant to face the challenges. The threemain pillar components that need to be possessed by each component are (a) ability to solve problems, (b) ability to think critically, (c) ability to be creative. This study aimed to describe the implementation of the strengthening of Islamic Education learning in the era of community revolution 5.0. This research uses a qualitative approach with the type of literature study research. The author will explore the data according to the discussion in this study, then collect them for analysis. Data analysis was carried out in three stages: data reduction, data presentation, conclusion drawing, or data verification. The study results show that the reinforcement of Islamic Education learning in the community revolution era was 5.0. by integrating Islamic religious values into KDP values. This integration is to overcome the children's moral crisis in the era of community life 5.0. The use of digital technology as a learning medium is the right step to balance the needs of society 5.0. Thus, the welfare and quality of life of the people increases. Especially the needs of all elements in the field of education.


Electrocardiogram, heart rate, blood pressure, and pattern of respiration were recorded continuously in 8 newborn babies having apnoeic attacks. Apnoeic attacks usually occurred without any premonitory changes in respiration, heart rate, or blood pressure. The heart rate usually fell during an apneoic attack and did so after the onset of apnoea. The pulse pressure most commonly rose as the heart rate fell. If the pulse pressure did not rise as the heart rate fell, major resuscitative procedures were often required. A fall in pulse pressure during apnoeic attacks was only seen in severely ill babies and usually only shortly before they died. It is suggested that the fall in heart rate during apnoea is the direct effect of hypoxia on the heart or a chemoreceptor reflex, and that the rise in pulse pressure is the result of increased filling volume in accordance with Starling's Law.


Objective To determine whether patterns of trauma changed following the start of local lockdowns due to COVID-19. Design Multi-institutional retrospective study assessing patients presenting within 2 years prior to local lockdown due to COVID-19 and 1 year following lockdown inclusive. Setting Two university teaching hospitals and one private referral center in Australia. Animals Dogs and cats with a presenting complaint of known or suspected trauma. Interventions Patient signalment, date of presentation, trauma type, treatment interventions and patient outcome (survival to discharge, cardiopulmonary arrest, or euthanasia) were recorded in a web-based data capture system (REDCap). Measurements and Main Results Three thousand one hundred eighty-nine patients (682 cats and 2,507 dogs) were included in the study. Overall trauma prevalence was 2.9% with pre-lockdown prevalence of 2.8% and post-lockdown prevalence of 3.1% (p < 0.001). Cats had higher rates of blunt trauma while penetrating trauma was more prevalent in dogs (p < 0.001). Juvenile patients were also more likely to have blunt trauma when compared to adult patients (p < 0.001). Patient age and sex characteristics did not differ when comparing the 2 time periods. Compared to pre-lockdown, blunt and penetrating trauma patterns changed post-lockdown in dogs and cats (p < 0.001 for both). Interventions were performed more frequently (p = 0.039) in the post-lockdown with surgical procedures having a significant increase (p = 0.015). Survival rates increased post-lockdown for both species (p < 0.001) with financially driven euthanasia being less common than in pre-lockdown for dogs (p = 0.02). Conclusions Trauma patterns changed for cats and dogs in the post-lockdown period. Compared to pre-lockdown, trauma prevalence was higher with a decrease in mortality rate. No increase in juvenile patients was identified post-lockdown. A decrease in financially driven euthanasia and an increase in interventions suggest no negative financial effect from COVID-19 lockdown on trauma patient care in Australia.


At 130 nm and 90 nm, power consumption (both dynamic and static) has become a barrier in the roadmap for SoC designs targeting battery powered, mobile applications. This paper presents the results of dynamic and static power reduction achieved implementing Tensilica's 32-bit Xtensa microprocessor core, using Virtual Silicon's Power Management IP. Independent voltage islands are created using Virtual Silicon's VIP PowerSaver standard cells by using voltage level shifting cells and voltage isolation cells to implement power islands. The VIP PowerSaver standard cells are characterized at 1.2V, 1.0V and 0.8V, to accommodate voltage scaling. Power islands can also be turned off completely. Designers can significantly lower both the dynamic power and the quiescent or leakage power of their SoC designs, with very little impact on speed or area using Virtual Silicon's VIP Gate Bias standard cells.


The two most commonly used techniques for evaluating the fit between application design and use — namely, usability testing and beta testing with user feedback — suffer from a number of limitations that restrict evaluation scale (in the case of usability tests) and data quality (in the case of beta tests). They also fail to provide developers with an adequate basis for: (1) assessing the impact of suspected problems (and proposed solutions) on users at large, and (2) deciding where to focus scarce development and evaluation resources to maximize the benefit for users at large. This article describes an approach to usage data and user feedback collection that addresses these limitations to provide developers with a complementary source of usage- and usability-related information. This research has been subjected to a number of evaluative activities including: (1) the development of three research prototypes at NYNEX Corporation, the University of Colorado, and the University of California, (2) the incorporation of one prototype by independent third party developers as part of an integrated demonstration scenario performed by Lockheed Martin Corporation, and (3) observation and participation in two industrial development projects, at NYNEX and Microsoft Corporations, in which developers sought to improve the application development process based on usage data and user feedback. The proposed approach involves a development platform for creating software agents that are deployed over the Internet to observe application use and report usage data and user feedback to developers to help improve the fit between design and use. The data can be used to illuminate how applications are used, to uncover mismatches in actual versus expected use, and to increase user involvement in the evolution of interactive systems. This research is aimed at helping developers make more informed design, impact assessment, and effort allocation decisions, ultimately leading to more costeffective development of software that is better suited to user needs.


This paper proposes an improved mesh simplification algorithm based on quadric error metrics (QEM) to efficiently processing the huge data in 3D image processing. This method fully uses geometric information around vertices to avoid model edge from being simplified and to keep details. Meanwhile, the differences between simplified triangular meshes and equilateral triangles are added as weights of errors to decrease the possibilities of narrow triangle and then to avoid the visual mutation. Experiments show that our algorithm has obvious advantages over the time cost, and can better save the visual characteristics of model, which is suitable for solving most image processing, that is, "Real-time interactive" problem.


Extant research and policy on agriculture tend to treat financial sustainability and ecological sustainability of agricultural operations as mutually exclusive goals. We show that sharing the current stock of agricultural research with farmers through an innovative information delivery method can help in pursuing these two goals simultaneously.

We used a mix of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and agent-based information delivery methods to provide information about all aspects of crop production with a focus on nutrient management and plant protection to paddy (rice) and cotton farmers in a field experiment setup. The method of information delivery enabled us to provide customized and detailed information. Our study finds that two years of intervention led to an increase in paddy yields by 18 percent and cotton yields by 85 percent. The enhanced yields were achieved along with reduction in the use of inorganic fertilizers and crop protection chemicals. At end of two years, intervention led to optimal, balanced usage of inorganic fertilizers by farmers and an overall reduction in the quantity of fertilizers used. Intervention also led to reduction in expenses related to crop protection chemicals owing to their proper usage. Yield enhancement and cost reduction contributed to an increase in net returns by 78 percent and 221 percent for paddy and cotton crops, respectively. Along with improving the financial viability of farming, proper use of chemicals adds to the ecological sustainability of agriculture.

The results of this study are important because they show that improved delivery of agricultural information can be used to attain goals beyond yield enhancement and that significant results can be achieved in a relatively short span of time. The results also have important implications for the management of agricultural information delivery initiatives and the continuity of such initiatives.


Abstract A total of 131 sows (Line 241; DNA, Columbus, NE) were used in a study to evaluate the effect of increasing soybean meal concentration in lactating sow diets on sow and litter performance. Sows were blocked by body weight (BW) within parity on day 112 of gestation and allotted to one of three treatments of increasing dietary soybean meal (25%, 30%, or 35% of the total diet). Diets were formulated to 1.05% standardized ileal digestible lysine (Lys) with L-Lys HCl decreasing as soybean meal increased. All other amino acids and nutrients were formulated to meet nutrient requirement recommendations. Diets were fed from day 112 of gestation until weaning (day 20 ± 2). Litters were cross-fostered up to 48 h after farrowing to equalize litter size. Increasing soybean meal concentration increased (linear, P = 0.017) sow BW loss and tended to increase (quadratic, P = 0.052) sow backfat loss from farrowing to weaning. Sow average daily feed intake (ADFI) from day 0 to 7 was similar (P > 0.10) across dietary treatments. However, from day 7 to 14, 14 to weaning, and overall, ADFI decreased (linear, P = 0.01) as soybean meal concentration increased. Despite the linear response in ADFI, the greatest decrease was observed as soybean meal concentration increased from 30% to 35% of the diet. There was no evidence for difference (P > 0.10) in wean-to-estrus interval, litter size, litter weight, or litter weight gain between dietary treatments. Sow serum urea nitrogen concentrations taken on day 14 of lactation increased (linear, P = 0.001) as soybean meal concentration increased. There was no difference (P > 0.05) for sow creatinine concentration, regardless of dietary treatment, suggesting that the increased urea nitrogen was a reflection of the increased dietary crude protein as opposed to increased protein catabolism. In summary, sow feed intake decreased and weight loss increased as soybean meal concentration of the diet increased, with the greatest decrease observed at 35% of the total diet. Although there were no differences in litter performance, it appeared that 35% soybean meal in the lactation diet negatively affected feed intake.


In less than two decades, the global tourism industry has overtaken the construction industry as one of the bigger polluters, accounting for up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, research into the causal link between emissions and the tourism industry have increased significantly focusing extensively on top earners from the industry. However, few studies have thoroughly assessed this relationship for small island economies dependent on tourism. Hence, this study assessed the causal relationship between CO2 emissions, real GDP per capita (RGDP) and the tourism industry. The analysis is conducted for seven tourism-dependent countries for the period 1995 to 2014 using panel VAR approach. Unit root tests confirms all variables are stationary at first difference. Our VAR granger causality/block exogeneity Wald tests results show that a unidirectional causality flowing from tourism to CO2 emission, RGDP, and energy consumption, but a bi-directional causality exists between tourism and urbanization. This implies that in countries that depend on tourism, the behavior of CO2 emission, RGDP, and energy consumption can be predicted by the volume of tourist arrivals, but not the other way around. The impulse response analysis also shows that the responses of tourism to shocks in CO2 appear negative within the 1st year, positive within the 2nd and 3rd year but revert to equilibrium in the fourth year. Finally, the reaction of tourism to shocks in energy consumption is similar to its reaction to shocks in RGDP. Tourism responds positively to shocks in urbanization throughout the periods. Consequently, this study draws important energy and tourism policy implications.


Abstract The pollutant dynamics of estuaries is closely associated with the transport of particulate matter and one problematic area is the quantification of the erosion, deposition and transport of intertidal sediment. The primary event in sediment erosion is the resuspension of surficial layers which are often densely colonized by assemblages of microphytobenthos and bacteria. The dominant microphytobenthos (Bacillariophyceae or diatoms) contain characteristic marker pigments, chlorophyll c and fucoxanthin. To date, few marker compounds have been used to characterize particulate matter and to monitor its transport. This study identifies pigments as useful marker compounds in monitoring erosive events, particularly at low erosion rates. Erosion can either be considered as occurring when the stress at the surface exceeds the threshold strength of the bed or as one side of a deposition/entrainment equilibrium always occurring at the bed surface. The present analysis indicates that an erosion threshold exists and that pigments derived from surface biofilms appear in the water column before the general failure of the bed. The result is a lower yield stress (U*crit) for biofilm components than for the sediments themselves, supporting the contention that the 'yield stress' of natural sediments has a strong biological component, in addition to purely physical control. Pigment fingerprinting is shown to provide information on the origin of suspended matter, including the suspension and deposition of particles. The potential for using microphytobenthic pigments as indicators of erosion events in laboratory simulations (erosion and respiration chambers) and in the field is discussed.


BackgroundIsolated sulfite oxidase deficiency (ISOD) is the rarest types of life-threatening neurometabolic disorders characterized by neonatal intractable seizures and severe developmental delay with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. ISOD is extremely rare and only 29 mutations have been identified and reported worldwide. Germline mutation in SUOX gene causes ISOD. MethodsHere, we investigated a 5-days old Chinese girl, presented with intermittent tremor or seizures of limbs, neonatal encephalopathy, subarachnoid cyst and haemorrhage, dysplasia of corpus callosum, neonatal convulsion, respiratory failure, cardiac failure, hyperlactatemia, severe metabolic acidosis, hyperglycemia, hyperkalemia, moderate anemia, atrioventricular block and complete right bundle branch block. Karyotype and chromosomal microarray analysis were performed and identified no chromosomal abnormalities in the proband. Whole exome sequencing was performed for the proband. Sanger sequencing was performed for the proband and her family members. ResultsWhole exome sequencing identified a novel heterozygous deletion (c.1406_1421delCCTGGCAGGTGGCTAA) and a previously reported heterozygous substitution (c.1200C>G) in exon 6 of the SUOX gene in the proband. The novel heterozygous deletion leads to frameshift (p.Thr469Serfs*20) which results into the formation of a truncated sulfite oxidase of 488 amino acids. The substitution leads to a premature stop codon (p.Tyr400*) followed by the formation of a truncated sulfite oxidase of 399 amino acids. Hence, both the variants are loss-of-function variants. The proband's father and mother is carrying the substitution and deletion in a heterozygous state respectively. These two variants were not identified in the elder brother of the proband as well as in the 100 healthy individuals. ConclusionHere, we reported the first variant of SUOX gene associated ISOD in Chinese population. Our study not only expand the mutational spectrum of SUOX gene associated ISOD, but also strongly suggested the application of whole exome sequencing for identifying the novel disease-causing mutation in candidate genes.


The "Nuclotron-M" project started in 2007 is considered as the key point of the first stage of the NICA/MPD project. General goal of the "Nuclotron-M" project is to prepare all the systems of the Nuclotron for its long and reliable operation as a part of the NICA collider injection chain. Additionally the project realization will increase the Nuclotron ability for realization of its current experimental program. Results of the last runs of the Nuclotron operation are presented.


A great deal of published historical work has been devoted to establishing the causes and chronology of the demise of the Liberal party in British politics. The downfall of the Liberals has been ascribed to the inevitable outflanking development of the Labour party; to the mutilation of Liberal principles involved in waging the first 'total' war; to the personal rifts and feuds between the rival followers of Asquith and Lloyd George—and to various combinations of these factors. Yet there has been no detailed analysis of the division within the Parliamentary Liberal party during the First World War. Although at the end of 1916 obviously certain Liberals supported Asquith and others Lloyd George, no attempt has been made to examine the way in which the rifts in the party were reflected in political action in the House of Commons during the time of the second coalition government, nor to determine accurately the lines of division in the party. An answer to the question of 'How did the Liberal party divide during the First World War?' has proved elusive, although some historians of the period have been more successful than others.


The benefit of ambulatory oxygen (AO) in patients with hypoxaemia on exercise remains contentious. HomefillTM (HF) allows patients to self fill small AO cylinders via a compressor.

Objective

A randomised cross-over trial to assess patient activity and preference for HF compared with usual AO device in a cohort of patients' with mixed respiratory diseases.

Methods

Medically stable individuals were recruited from three respiratory/AO clinics. Patients were randomised to usual AO then HF for 6 wks or vice versa. AO prescription was pre-optimised. Tri-axial activity monitoring and questionnaires were completed in the last week of each arm.

Results

Forty patients met the inclusion criteria, 6 changed their minds and 3 became unwell. Mean age was 66 yrs, 11 males, 72% had COPD, mean FEV1 0.70 l/min (range 0.38-1.15, SD 0.21) and restrictive FVC 1.35 l/min (range 0.46 – 2.58, SD 0.73). Fourteen patients required the highest pulsed oxygen setting for HF. There was no statistically significant difference in mean daily activity counts when using HF compared to usual AO. LTOT users were less active (activity counts: 22944 HF, 22624 Usual) than non LTOT users (38278 HF, 39420 Usual). Eighteen patients elected to keep HomefillTM, 10 were LTOT users, 14 had COPD, 7 previously used cylinders and 11 LOX or light-weight cylinders.

Conclusions

As expected, LTOT users were less active than non LTOT users; a small number were very inactive. Activity levels were unaffected by AO system, HF was preferred by the majority.

Implications for practice:

AO prescription should be considered before severe deconditioning.

AO systems could be trialled during PR to optimise utilisation.


Two distributed channel allocation algorithms are presented for a reconfigurable communication network with a multiple-channel link architecture. In this architecture, every switching node can dynamically allocate transmitters and receivers among links to match traffic fluctuations and hence improve the average delay and throughput performance over that of a fixed-link architecture. The authors show that the first algorithm always converges to an optimum configuration while assuming that link may never be saturated and requiring global information on channel allocation. The second algorithm needs local information only and poses no limitation on link capacity but may terminate at suboptimum configurations. The conditions under which the local search algorithm may fail to converge to an optimum configuration is also discussed.<<ETX>>


The purpose of this study is to examine how daylight exposure affects the health and well-being of office workers. Sleep actigraphy and health and well-being related survey data were the main dependent variables in this study. Research samples were composed of participants from the United States and South Korea, each set of workers divided into those having daylight at their workplaces and those without. Fifty participants in total wore for two weeks actiwatches equipped with light sensors to measure sleep quality and exposure to ambient light levels. Additional health and well-being measurements were taken using well established survey instruments such as the SF-36 for general and mental health, and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep. In order to estimate the levels of daylight participants were exposed to, computer simulation was used to generate the total annual daylight levels in each participant's office. Our results seem to indicate that working in daylit office spaces would lead to higher sleep quality and higher scores of the health and well-being scales compared to those who do not work under daylight conditions. Our findings indicate that it is important to provide and maintain significant daylight levels at the workplace. Consequently, in terms of architectural design, building orientation, building dimensions, and the size and height of windows should be taken into consideration to optimize or maximize daylight exposure.


Researchers now understand interpreting as an active process between two languages and cultures, with social interaction, sociolinguistics, and discourse analysis as more appropriate theoretical frameworks. Roy's penetrating new book acts upon these new insights by presenting six dynamic teaching practices to help interpreters achieve the highest level of skill. Elizabeth Winston and Christine Monikowski begin by explaining discourse mapping to enable students to develop a mental picture of a message's meaning and the relationships of context, form, and content. Kyra Pollitt discusses critical discourse analysis, to reveal some of the cultural influences that shape a speaker's language use. Melanie Metzger describes preparing role-plays so that students learn to effectively switch back and forth between languages, manage features such as overlap, and make relevant contributions to interaction, such as indicating the source of an utterance. Jeffrey Davis illustrates the translation skills that form the basis for teaching consecutive and simultaneous interpreting to help students understand the intended meaning of the source message, and also the manner in which listeners understand it. Rico Peterson demonstrates the use of recall protocols, which can be used to teach metacognitive skills and to assess the student's sign language comprehension. Finally, Janice Humphrey details the use of graduation portfolios, a valuable assessment tool used by the faculty to determine a student's level of competency. These imaginative techniques in Innovative Practices promise gains in sign language interpreting that will benefit teachers, students, and clients alike.


ABSTRACT Rhizobium sp. strain NGR234 has an exceptionally broad host range and is able to nodulate more than 112 genera of legumes. Since the overall organization of the NGR234 genome is strikingly similar to that of the narrow-host-range symbiont Rhizobium meliloti strain 1021 (also known as Sinorhizobium meliloti), the obvious question is why are the spectra of hosts so different? Study of the early symbiotic genes of both bacteria (carried by the SymA plasmids) did not provide obvious answers. Yet, both rhizobia also possess second megaplasmids that bear, among many other genes, those that are involved in the synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs). EPSs are involved in fine-tuning symbiotic interactions and thus may help answer the broad- versus narrow-host-range question. Accordingly, we sequenced two fragments (total, 594 kb) that encode 575 open reading frames (ORFs). Comparisons revealed 19 conserved gene clusters with high similarity to R. meliloti, suggesting that a minimum of 28% (158 ORFs) of the genetic information may have been acquired from a common ancestor. The largest conserved cluster carried the exo and exs genes and contained 31 ORFs. In addition, nine highly conserved regions with high similarity to Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58, Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110, and Mesorhizobium loti strain MAFF303099, as well as two conserved clusters that are highly homologous to similar regions in the plant pathogen Erwinia carotovora, were identified. Altogether, these findings suggest that ≥40% of the pNGR234b genes are not strain specific and were probably acquired from a wide variety of other microbes. The presence of 26 ORFs coding for transposases and site-specific integrases supports this contention. Surprisingly, several genes involved in the degradation of aromatic carbon sources and genes coding for a type IV pilus were also found.


This article provides commentary on the five articles in this issue on large-scale interventions in science education for diverse student groups in varied educational settings. Using these articles as a point of departure, I discuss three challenges to science education research and practice. The first concerns the changed meaning of science education reform over the past two decades. The science education research and development community must be aware of the shifting policy and public awareness context of their work and react accordingly if it wishes for its work to make a difference in the lives of teachers and students. The second addresses the importance of teacher professional development and the role that well-designed and internally valid research plays in developing knowledge in this area. The third discusses the chaotic and contradictory nature of educational policy in this country and argues that our field needs to align our research work with the ways in which real and impactful decisions are made about education in general and science education in particular. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 420–427, 2012


Aims To assess current practice among paediatricians with expertise in cardiology (PEC's) and review our own practice in order to evaluate the validity of current recommendations and to recommend change to practice. Methods A nationwide online survey of PEC's and their practice. We broadly grouped abnormalities into those requiring a catheter procedure as a marker of moderate CHD and those requiring surgery as more significant CHD. We the audited our own outcomes to assess the validity of screening recommendations. Results 39 responses In evaluation of murmur, 83% of PEC clinicians would see in clinic and 51% perform an echo even if the murmur had resolved. Only 27/39 (69.2%) can perform the clinical evaluation within 4 weeks due to lack of clinic capacity. Our survey demonstrated that the likelihood of arranging follow up increases with severity of congenital heart abnormality and the absence of detailed antenatal assessment. Audit of our practice showed a low pick up rate of significant congenital heart disease when screening is based on familial risk alone. Conclusions Practice varies among PEC clinicians in the UK. Most clinicians are unable to review those with heart murmurs within the recommended 4 weeks due to lack of capacity. Most congenital heart disease has a low recurrence risk. However, left sided obstructive lesions, e.g. critical AS, have a greater recurrence risk and specific gene abnormalities are well documented. Furthermore, these lesions are more likely to be clinically silent with acute, severe presentation at the time of closure of the ductus. Our experience has demonstrated that the pick-up rate for all infants with a family history of CHD is relatively low and our survey demonstrated that many clinicians are not reviewing patients in a timely manner. We recommend selective screening by postnatal echo of patients with a family history of congenital heart disease in the context of a normal detailed fetal anomaly scan and a normal NIPE examination to include only those infants with a family history of CHD with a high recurrence risk.


Background: All-cause mortality is a global indicator of the overall health of the population, and its relation to the macro economy is thus of vital interest. The main aim was to estimate the short-term and the long-term impact of macroeconomic change on all-cause mortality. Variations in the unemployment rate were used as indicator of temporary fluctuations in the economy. Methods: We used time-series data for 21 OECD countries spanning the period 1960–2018. We used four outcomes: total mortality (0+), infant mortality (<1), mortality in the age-group 20–64, and old-age mortality (65+). Data on GDP/capita were obtained from the Maddison Project. Unemployment data (% unemployed in the work force) were sourced from Eurostat. We applied error correction modelling to estimate the short-term and the long-term impact of macroeconomic change on all-cause mortality. Results: We found that increases in unemployment were statistically significantly associated with decreases in all mortality outcomes except old-age mortality. Increases in GDP were associated with significant lowering long-term effects on mortality. Conclusions: Our findings, based on data from predominantly affluent countries, suggest that an increase in unemployment leads to a decrease in all-cause mortality. However, economic growth, as indicated by increased GDP, has a long-term protective health impact as indexed by lowered mortality.


Chinese citrus fly, Bactrocera minax (Enderlein), is one of the most important pests of citrus. The pest is more problematic in the eastern part of the country, Nepal. Because of the difficulties associated with the control of this pest by chemical insecticides, farmers had experienced great losses in Sweet Orange. Therefore, a participatory field survey was conducted under farmer field conditions to assess losses and measure the efficacy of different local and recommended management options to address the problem of this pest. Study consisted of two major parts: monitoring of pest population and farmer's survey. For monitoring three orchards were selected located at different altitude i.e. 1200 masl, 1300 masl and 1400 masl. Great Fruit fly Bait (25% protein hydrolysate and 0.1% abamectin) in McPhail traps were used for monitoring. Monitoring was done in every 7 days interval and lures were changed in every 15 days for the effectiveness. Only 18.3% farmers were using protein bait for the management of fruit fly. B. minax had peak population intensity at May and was found decreasing after June so the management practices should be adopted before June to prevent the loss by fruit fly. However, for best effective control attention for monitoring and management procedures has to take place throughout the life cycle of the insect


The present study focuses on Rulin waishi 儒林外史 (The Unofficial History of the Scholars), a well-known Qing novel, from the perspective of gender. It attempts to contribute to the discussion about Chinese masculinity by identifying the representation of the scholars' masculinity in Rulin waishi and offer a better understanding of the novel's position regarding femininity and women.

This project shows that the novel nevertheless reflects rather than challenges gender ideologies of its time. The ideal manhood showed in the novel comprises real virtues and authentic learning. It goes against the traditional, orthodox Confucian masculinity which advocates that officialdom is the glorious path to fulfill a learned man's masculinity. It is mainly due to Wu Jingzi's own failure in the civil service examinations and official careers. Regarding the relation of masculinity and sexuality, the novel reveals that a masculine man is not tempted by female charm but can enjoy a harmonious and companionate marriage. Besides, scholars show great anxiety about their masculinity since they are in a marginal position in society. Their manliness is challenged by officials, merchants, and even commoners, as well as their colleagues.

Through a careful examination of stories of Pinniang, Miss Lu, and Mrs. Wang, it reveals that the novel holds a conventional opinion on women although it criticizes widow suicide and shows an egalitarian husband-wife relationship. It praises Confucian womanly virtues, such as following and serving the husband, managing the household, and keeping chastity. Female sexuality is blamed as an evil temptation to lead men to go astray. Women's learning gains legitimacy when serving to fulfill domestic responsibilities. It carries the Confucian message that men should take the lead and maintain order in the household and reinforces the rightful patriarchy.

In a word, rather than go ahead of its time, Rulin waishi holds a conservative attitude towards gender issues.


BACKGROUND
Animal venoms are complex mixtures of proteins and non proteins components with several biological activities. Snake venoms represent an essentially unexplored source of bioactive compounds that may cure disease conditions which do not respond to currently available therapies. These venoms possess many pharmacological activities, as cytotoxic and/or lytic effects on tumor cells in vitro. Herein, were investigated the in vitro cytotoxicity of three Bothrops venoms in tumor cell lines.

METHODS
Cytotoxic effect was evaluated in HCT-8 (colon - human), SF-295 (nervous system - human), HL-60 (human leukemia) and MDAMB-435 (breast - human). Cell density and membrane integrity were determined by the exclusion of propidium iodide. To determine whether Bothrops venoms treated cells were undergoing an apoptotic and/ or necrosis death, phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization was measured after the incubation with the venom.

RESULTS
Botrhops venons showed significant cytotoxcity against all cell lines in study. Cell density and membrane integrity were determined by the exclusion of propidium iodide. The Bothrops venoms reduced the cell number and revealed the presence of a necrotic population when the cells was exposed to the B. pauloensis B. diporus and B. pirajai venoms. To determine whether Bothrops venoms treated cells were undergoing an apoptotic and/or necrosis death, PS externalization was measured after the incubation with the venom and it was observed necrotic and apoptotic cells.

CONCLUSIONS
All Bothrops venoms tested showed cytotoxicity against tumor cell lines through inducing of necrosis and apoptosis.


We propose a method to use a state transition model so that the sensing object can be distinguished through classification of signal patterns sensed by a sensor array. Focusing on the design of the model that is able to distinguish the sensed object more exactly, we present an idea in which the modeling elements, 'states' and 'transitions' are defined as each same-sized angle intervals into which the angle interval is divided and the angle differences between adjacent signal values on sampling signal value sequence value sequence sensed from the sensor array in the uniform time interval, respectively. In addition we show the usefulness of our model through experiments.


The awareness that every electronic product, from PCs to Internet appliances, is pining for tinier and more powerful chips is whipping semiconductor development along at a frenetic pace. It is also hounding automation of design and test and IC test development, but test inevitably lags behind chip development. Devising (and performing) tests for the so-called system on a chip is a time-consuming process. Many thousands of test patterns and vectors must be created, as must protocols, and the fault coverage achieved must be high enough to complete the necessary testing and to minimize the cost. The challenges multiply further as the test chain ascends from chip to board to system and ultimately field-level tests. Each level adds expense so that soon, by some estimates, test could account for half of the final cost of a chip.


Power grids are operated in an increasingly complicated environment. However, operators lack effective and accurate tools for real-time monitoring and control of power systems. The U.S. Department of Energy, along with several utilities and system operators, is making a major $108 million investment in the Western Interconnection for phasor measurement unit (PMU) installation and phasor application development. This phasor measurement network opens up many opportunities for the estimation and prediction of power system states in real time, which enable operators to evaluate the system dynamic security in advance and allow them more time to respond to disturbances. Kalman filter based dynamic state estimation offers a solution suitable for this purpose. Our work indicates that the performance of Kalman filters in dynamic state estimation would degrade if PMU measurements cannot adequately capture the system dynamics. This paper develops a framework to identify how to place PMUs to improve dynamic observability of the power grid. Simulation results validate the concept, and the guidelines for PMU placement are derived.


There are many different forms and interpretations of rewilding: the concept and its practice vary from country to country, with distinct interpretations according to its geographical location. Despite the term rewilding having been present in the lexicon for three decades, the concept of rewilding in England has experienced a prolonged developmental stage. This paper argues that a unique form of English rewilding is now emerging, which is distinct from rewilding in other parts of the world. Compared to other locations rewilding in England operates at smaller spatial scales; its ambitions to increase biodiversity, restore ecosystem functioning and increase natural autonomy are somewhat curtailed; it involves higher levels of human intervention; and, perhaps most tellingly of all, it goes by another name – 'wilding', 'wild' or 'wilder' with little mention of the much-maligned prefix 're'. This conclusion has been developed following a comparative case study of two English 'rewilding' sites (the Avalon Marshes and Wild Ennerdale) involving 49 semi-structured interviews: twelve expert interviews and nineteen and eighteen stakeholder/practitioner interviews at the Avalon Mashes and Wild Ennerdale respectively.


The work is divided into three sections: the first one describes the historical evolution of the main arguments presented about the plurality of inhabited worlds, from the presocratics to the birth of modern science. The second section analyzes the race to define the search for life beyond Earth as a scientific activity under a specific name. Finally, the third part presents a brief description of the social history of science that allowed the early development of astrobiology in Iberoamerica.


CAR T cell therapy has demonstrated remarkable clinical efficacy against relapsed and refractory hematological malignancies, such as B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (Neelapu et al. NEJM, 2017; Schuster et al. NEJM, 2018; Turtle et al. Sci Trans Med, 2016). Despite these advances, prominent barriers including poor T cell effector function, lack of proliferation, and limited CAR T cell persistence prevent CAR T cell therapies from reaching their full curative potential (Srivastava and Riddell, Journal of Immunology, 2019). Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a potent stimulator of CD4 and CD8 T cell proliferation, survival, and cytotoxic function, thereby making it an attractive molecule to support CAR T cell therapy. However, therapeutic use of IL-2 is limited by systemic toxicity due its promiscuous activation of undesired immune cell populations, including non-tumor reactive T cells and NK cells (Rosenberg et al. Journal of Immunology, 2014).
 To facilitate selective ex vivo and in vivo expansion of engineered T cells we have developed a human orthogonal (ortho) ligand/receptor system consisting of a pegylated, IL-2 mutein (STK- 009) that does not significantly activate the wild type receptor and a mutated IL-2 Receptor Beta (orthoIL-2Rβ) that does not significantly respond to its native ligand, wild type IL-2. This system enables in vivo IL-2 signaling in engineered cells that express the orthoIL-2Rβ while avoiding signaling in bystander T cells and NK cells. Here, we demonstrate the ability of the STK-009/orthoIL-2Rb ligand/receptor pair to selectively potentiate human orthoIL-2Rb (hoRb) expressing CD19 CAR T cells (CD19 orthoCAR T cells) in vitro and in vivo. We also demonstrate that STK-009 is selective for the orthogonal IL-2Rb and in a non-human primate model does not potentiate wild type T or NK cells and shows no evidence of toxicity.
 The STK-009/CD19 orthoCAR T platform was evaluated in a disseminated Raji mouse model of aggressive lymphoma. Subcutaneous administration of STK-009 dramatically expanded the CD19 orthoCAR T cells possessing a clinically favorable TSCM and TEMRA immunophenotype and significant antitumor efficacy was observed even at doses of CAR T cells typically regarded as sub-efficacious. When STK-009 dosing was stopped after complete tumor responses, CD19 orthoCAR T cells contracted as expected. Subsequent redosing of STK-009 in these tumor free mice re-expanded CD19 orthoCAR T cell levels demonstrating the on-demand control of the STK-009/orthoCAR T cell platform.
 Given the deep and durable responses we observed in the disseminated Raji model, we subsequently invested investigated the efficacy of the STK-009/orthoCAR T cell platform in a subcutaneous Raji model of lymphoma characteristically resistant to CAR T cell therapy. No significant anti-tumor effect was observed in mice treated with either CAR T cells alone or the combination of high dose wild-type IL-2 and CAR T cells. The subcutaneous administration of STK-009 in combination with a sub-efficacious dose of CD19 orthoCAR T cells demonstrated significant expansion of the CD19 orthoCAR T cells with the clinically favorable TSCM and TEMRA immunophenotype and potent anti-tumor efficacy in this subcutaneous lymphoma model, demonstrating the selective potentiation of the CD19 orthoCAR T cells in response to STK-009.
 The toxicity of STK-009 was evaluated in a non-human primate dose-escalation study. Subcutaneous administration STK-009 at anticipated therapeutic doses showed no evidence of toxicity or biological effect on immune cells expressing the wild-type IL-2 receptor. Pharmacokinetic analysis of STK-009 in this study showed stable exposure with minimal clearance, demonstrating the selectivity of STK-009.
 These findings validate an orthogonal platform that selectively drives potent T cell effector functions of engineered cells without the toxicities mediated by NK cells or non-tumor specific T cells associated with high dose IL-2 therapy. These results demonstrate the ability of this orthogonal platform to improve the efficacy and durability of CAR T cell therapies.

 Aspuria: Synthekine: Current Employment. Bauer:Synthekine: Current Employment. vivona:Synthekine: Current Employment. de Waal Malefyt:Synthekine: Current Employment. Kastelein:Synthekine: Current Employment. Oft:Synthekine: Current Employment. Emmerich:Synthekine: Current Employment. Rokkam:Synthekine: Current Employment. Kauder:Synthekine: Current Employment. McCauley:Synthekine: Current Employment. Riener:Synthekine: Current Employment. Verma:Synthekine: Current Employment.